Born in Chains (Men in Chains)

  She stared at him, unwilling to admit just how much she responded to the call in his eyes, to the size and beauty of him, or to his primitive nature. And she hated herself for it, for desiring him like this, the feeling that not to have him would somehow destroy her life, even her soul.

  She saw that he worked to control himself.

  So she did the same. “We’ll get past this, Adrien, both of us. We’ll get the weapon and somehow get the chains off, the sooner the better, then we’ll both be free of these inexplicable cravings.”

  He met her gaze but shook his head. “Did you have to be so beautiful?”

  Lily grew very still. Tension filled the air. Silence as well. Maybe she breathed, she wasn’t sure. Adrien held her gaze, his eyes dark with longing and need, now glittering in the soft dark of the room.

  She heard movement near the doorway and wasn’t surprised when Sebastien appeared. “Rumy called just before the fanatics showed up, demanding information about the extinction weapon. I wouldn’t have survived the attack without Rumy’s warning, but I’ve lost a good friend tonight.”

  “I’m sorry,” Adrien said.

  Sebastien nodded, his expression grim. “I’ve made a couple of phone calls. I think you should head north, to the Trevayne system. Alfonse is expecting you. I told him to take you to the vault.”

  Lily felt Adrien growing calmer by the second. Perhaps that was why the Ancestral had rejoined them, to change the subject and to give Adrien something else to focus on.

  CHAPTER 6

  Adrien kept his gaze fixed on Sebastien, his chest tight. It helped a lot that he’d shifted his attention away from Lily. He drew another deep breath. “What vault?”

  “The one only three other Ancestrals know about, Alfonse being one of them.”

  Lily turned to face Sebastien as well. “What’s in the vault? Is the weapon there?” Adrien could sense her sudden excitement.

  Sebastien shook his head. “No, but there are documents about experiments performed here in France. I read them forty years ago. They were of a scientific nature and might have included design plans, I’m not sure. I’m asking that you secure them and take them to Gabriel. He’ll know what to do with them.” As a respected Ancestral, Gabriel knew a lot of trustworthy vampires. If anyone would know what to do with these documents, he would.

  He glanced from one to the other. “You’re in this together and you’re in deep. You’re both pretending that what’s happening here is simple, with the chains and with each other, but it’s not. Adrien, you and your brothers have served as one of our few policing forces, and you’ve done a great job. But our society, if we’re to survive, needs more than that, from you especially. You have tremendous Ancestral power, I can sense it in you. And you’ve always spoken loudly about the need for an improved court system. We must have that if we’re to hold maniacs like Daniel at bay. And now that he’s making a power grab by using you both to get the weapon, it’s even more important that you tap into your Ancestral legacy.”

  “But when I’ve spoken of this, most of the Ancestrals insist that Daniel is an anomaly among vampires, that we shouldn’t build an entire system around one freak. And if we can locate the weapon at all, it’s unclear what we’ll do with it. We’ll handle that when the time comes.”

  Sebastien nodded. “But Daniel’s not the only one vying for control, is he? Who do you think was behind the attack here?”

  “I know that Silas leads this group.”

  Sebastien nodded. “The long black hooded robes have become his signature.”

  “Yes, they have.”

  Lily turned to glance at Adrien over her shoulder. “Silas again. What’s his main deal?”

  “He keeps dozens of our young male vampires worked up about human intrusions into our world, while he profits from selling human drugs to vampire dealers in just about every system on earth. He’s one of my least favorite things, a complete hypocrite.”

  “But I take it he wants more than just the profit from selling drugs.”

  “Like Daniel, he’s after control.”

  Lily shifted her gaze back to Sebastien. “Do you agree?”

  Sebastien stepped back into the room. “Absolutely.” He sat down in a winged chair near tall bookshelves and settled his gaze on Adrien. “Just think about what I’ve said. If you embraced your Ancestral calling, you’d be able to make a difference, I know it.” He lifted a hand. “I won’t argue with you, not tonight. But please consider the possibility that there’s something else here.” He glanced from Adrien to Lily and back. “Fate has brought you to Lily and she to you.”

  “I don’t believe in fate.” Adrien flared his nostrils, slinging his hands behind his back.

  “Whether you believe it or not, I’m going to tell you a truth right now that I think you won’t want to hear.” He gestured to the chain at Adrien’s neck. “These blood-chains that you’ve got have very little to do with your drive toward Lily.”

  “You’re wrong about that.”

  Sebastien shook his head. “My wife and I donned blood-chains once, hoping to improve our marriage. All they did was increase the hostility we felt for each other. I almost died getting rid of the chains but would have preferred death to keeping them.”

  “That can’t be true.”

  “Are you calling me a liar?” But he smiled, if wearily.

  Adrien backed down. “No. You always speak the truth.”

  Lily met Adrien’s gaze. “But this can’t be true. I couldn’t possibly be experiencing these kinds of things on my own.” She whirled back to Sebastien. “You must be mistaken.”

  “Sorry, the chains don’t lie or mislead.” He rose from his chair. “And now, I have a good friend to bury. I suggest you head north before Silas finds out about the vault.”

  For a long moment, Adrien couldn’t move. His gaze was glued to Lily as he tried to process what Sebastien had just told him. What did his profound drive toward the human mean, then?

  In the end, he made a choice to ignore Sebastien’s revelations, at least for the present. Besides, soon enough he’d come to the end of this line, then he and Lily could go their separate ways.

  “You’re right, we should get going. And Sebastien, I’m sorry we can’t stay to help out with this.”

  “My people are coming. I’m not alone. Try to gather the support you need and think about what I told you. You have an extraordinary lineage. If I had half your power and even a quarter of your natural ability, Adrien—my God, what I could have accomplished on behalf of our world.”

  Adrien met and held his gaze, willing him to understand his thoughts. That the latent power he kept in check, those so-called natural abilities he possessed, belonged in hell and nowhere else.

  He held his arm out to Lily. Accustomed to the drill, she stepped into him and slid an arm around his neck. This kind of proximity because of the way they had to travel wasn’t helping his profound desire for her, but it was still the best way of traveling with altered flight.

  The moment she planted her foot on top of his, he inclined his head to Sebastien and put them both in motion, gliding upward and passing easily through the house and into the night air.

  He’d half expected Lily to speak to him while traveling, to contact him telepathically and discuss what Sebastien had said. Instead she remained silent.

  If what Sebastien had shared was accurate, then Adrien had to face a hard fact about his desire for Lily: He’d never experienced such a powerful reaction to a woman, any woman, in the entire course of his four centuries.

  But what did it mean? He’d known dozens of women over the decades, and had loved two or three of them, but he’d never felt a desire for a deeper commitment. He held back of course, just as his brothers did, since they each feared and mistrusted their parentage. Yet when he reviewed his loves, they seemed mild in comparison with his reactions to Lily. Even before she’d come into the cave, he’d thought, She’s here. She’s mine. And that was well before he’d worn the
blood-chain.

  Are we in any danger, being airborne like this?

  Finally, she spoke to his mind, addressing a subject he could respond to, but she wouldn’t like the answer. Because we’re traveling like slugs, yeah, we’re in danger. Hopefully, though, anyone watching for us would be checking the southern routes out of Paris.

  In the direction of Lake Como and The Erotic Passage?

  Yep. Rumy’s business is known to be a hotbed of information, any kind you could possibly want. Most of the club’s workers would have heard something about the weapon over the years.

  Do you think anything in the vault will be of value?

  Only one way to find out, but I need to prepare you for something else, Lily. No human has been allowed to visit the Trevayne system in a long time. I don’t know if Kiernan told you this, but a large number of our cavern systems don’t allow humans inside. Most interactions with your kind have ended badly for the vampire world.

  You’re saying I won’t be welcomed.

  Only an Ancestral like Sebastien could have given us access like this, so I’m asking that you be respectful despite how you feel about my kind.

  Of course I will. I’m not a barbarian.

  No, that you’re not. I apologize if I offended you.

  Apology accepted.

  * * *

  Lily didn’t blame Adrien for not trusting her. If she’d been in his shoes she would have done and said the same kinds of things. After at least an hour of travel, and as he dropped down to earth, she glanced around and saw a barren rise of hills amid a fertile area, except that the air looked as it had on top of Sebastien’s roof, like it moved in waves.

  Another disguise.

  A stream flowed nearby and a chill filled the air. She wondered where the caves were and why vampires would still choose to live in caves when many, like Adrien, had apartments and homes.

  She watched the stream, the trees on the opposite side. The wind flowed along the waterway.

  Adrien had grown very still but he finally said, “We have permission to go inside.”

  She had no idea what he meant, but when she shifted toward the barren land, a sight like nothing she could possibly have expected met her eyes. A several-stories-tall entrance, made of stone blocks, framed a massive cave entrance on an even taller grass-covered hill. What had appeared barren to her human eye was actually the entrance to the Trevayne system.

  The beauty of the entrance stunned her, and for a long moment she couldn’t make her feet move. The stone had dozens of magnificent carvings, something that probably spoke of the history of the system as well as the vampires who’d lived here throughout the ages. But across the top of massive columns lay an enormous curved stone, settled deep into the hill and also carved.

  She felt her jaw had dropped, and there it stayed. The cavern in the Himalayas had been an uncivilized hellhole, a perfect representation, from Lily’s limited point of view, of vampire society, violent and unclean.

  But here, rising to such an incredible height, carved with great beauty, was something else altogether. The stones, massed together and decorated, meant civilization.

  “Not what you expected?” Adrien’s words held a sharp, sarcastic edge.

  “Sorry. Not even a little.”

  He led her up a series of steps, but each forward movement bit at her conscience. Humans weren’t allowed in this place and for good reason: Her kind usually meant death and destruction, and here she was looking for the one thing that would destroy the few hundred vampires undoubtedly living here.

  But as she moved deeper into the entrance, her eyes widened. She thought a five-star hotel couldn’t have been any grander. The several-story theme continued, the sculpted walls rising to a massive domed ceiling with more intricate carvings. A granite mosaic of a huge oak tree decorated the entire eight-foot wall to her left. Dozens of white linen-covered round tables and tall-upholstered chairs took up the main body of the room.

  Straight ahead, a vampire stood at attention, meeting neither of their gazes.

  To the right, a long hotel-like desk, though unmanned, flanked the wall. From the same direction, a tall, lean vampire with large eyes and his dark hair cut businessman-short moved in her direction, his lips pinched tightly together.

  “Well met, Adrien.”

  “And you, Alfonse. May I present Lily Haven.”

  Alfonse turned his piercing gaze on Lily. He didn’t smile and she didn’t offer her hand. “We don’t usually receive humans here, madame. But you probably already know that.”

  “I do.”

  He then shifted his attention to Adrien. “Sebastien gave specific instructions that I’m to take you directly to the vault. Our people have retired, at my request. I’m not happy about this, on any level, but Sebastien indicated that a difficult situation has arisen and he trusts you. I do as well, but if you could see to your business then leave, I’d offer any favor in return that I could.”

  Bribing Adrien to get rid of them?

  “You know about the imprisonment of me and my brothers.”

  Alfonse shook his head, and his frown deepened. “We’re unsettled by these events and by rumors that Daniel has been stripping some of our most powerful leaders of their businesses, selling them to humans.”

  “I wish I could tell you differently.”

  “Doesn’t Daniel understand that if our wealth departs, so does the ability to feed those in each system? We’ll be forced out into the open. That can’t be his plan.”

  Adrien’s voice grew quieter. “I’ve never understood his mind.”

  Alfonse clapped him on the shoulder. “Of course not. No one can understand the thinking of a madman.” He glanced at Lily. “I’ll show you to the vault.”

  A woman’s voice sounded to Lily’s right. “Now, is that any way to treat guests that Sebastien has sent to us, my dear? I insist they receive refreshment, and if you continue to stand there like a statue and scowl at our human visitor, she will no doubt make a report that will do none of us any good.”

  Lily found herself swept away by the woman, who took her arm, introduced herself as Giselle, and drew her back down the way she’d come. She felt the tug on her chain, which quickly relaxed since Adrien moved to catch up.

  “Giselle, we can’t stay for your hospitality,” Adrien said. “Time is critical.”

  “So I understand, but you haven’t seen how my grandson has grown. You’ve been a favorite of his since birth and he’s missed you.”

  Lily’s astonishment grew. Grandson? Which meant children. So there were vampire children here.

  Her gaze took in the walls as Giselle led her away from the entrance. They appeared to be decorated with some kind of elegant polished quartz, and went on and on, for at least an eighth of a mile, with many offshoots of more halls, or tunnels, more carvings and more crystals, more beauty and civilization.

  This wasn’t a cavern system, this was a palace.

  After a series of descending steps, taking them deeper into the earth, the hall opened up into another vast underground cavern, also carved and gleaming with a soft light from several oil lamps. Her vision adjusted, so that once more she saw the space in a soft glow. She also felt the flow of warm air, fresh air. “You have electricity.”

  “Some, and as carefully hidden as possible.”

  Lily turned in a circle. “This is a magnificent room.”

  “And Alfonse works hard in his business so that we, and all the families living in our system, can maintain the necessary repairs. We’re constantly battling the effects of water, and of course the moment a stalagmite appears, I’m calling in a work crew.” She laughed as she spoke.

  Giselle had long black hair with a straight line of bangs. Her skin was very pale. Her clothes were casual enough, but she looked stunning in a pair of black tailored pants and a soft, clinging purple top. She wore thick silver bands on her wrist and a matching piece around her neck.

  She led Lily to an elevated living area on which were g
rouped red velvet sofas and chairs. Beneath the furniture lay an enormous carpet.

  “Please, sit down. My husband is glaring at me but I insisted on inviting you to our private quarters.” She had wine waiting and goblets.

  When she offered, Lily accepted because to do anything else seemed wrong. But Giselle had knocked her off-stride. She’d had one opinion of vampires, and little about Adrien’s powerful presence and temper had altered that.

  Yet here was a woman who, in any other setting, might have become Lily’s friend.

  Lily took a sip and found the Cabernet flavor almost perfect. Adrien moved to stand near the chair in which Giselle sat. He held his goblet tight in his fist, his brows drawn together as he watched her. She sensed his uneasiness, but couldn’t figure out the cause of it.

  Then she felt it, a kind of energy emanating from Giselle. She shifted her gaze to the woman, who sat with one leg tucked beneath her. Then, leaning forward as she searched Lily’s eyes, she finally murmured, “Sebastien told me you shared the bonding chains with Adrien, and I can see that you do, I can feel the bonds between you and they’re powerful. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like this before. When did you put them on?”

  Some part of Lily didn’t want to answer the question, but she felt compelled to speak anyway. “Earlier. Just after sunset when I brought Adrien out of the prison.”

  “I see.” More of Giselle’s power flowed toward Lily in soft entrancing waves. “And why did you bring him out?”

  Again, Lily wanted to hold back, but the words flowed out of her as she spoke about her mission, that she had to get the extinction weapon. She even told Giselle about Kiernan and Daniel—everything, except Josh.

  “I can sense that you’re a tracker, that you have the locating ability. I want you to extend your powers to our system right now and focus on the weapon. What do you see?”

  Lily did as she was told, closing her eyes. She reached out with her mind and focused on the weapon. She felt the familiar tendrils flow from her once more, but much stronger this time and extending in all directions. But as before nothing happened—as though she simply didn’t have enough power to get the job done.