“Sounds complicated.” Ariana frowned, suddenly seeing the depth of the ancient unresolved tensions between the two Lineages.
“It is. Quite.” Curio chuckled now, though his amusement was dark. “I thought I was lucky to be born a Winter Fae up in the Italian Alps, to not deal with all that. Little did I know I would get bitten by Emiliana and lose all choice in the matter, dealing with the bullshit concerning Rome.”
“You were Sired against your will?” Ariana glanced to him, frowning deeper as she recalled Quinn’s speech about never Siring anyone without a very transparent contract between them. As Curio looked at her, Ariana suddenly saw an ancient sadness in his gaze.
“All of us decent folk taken by Emiliana were Sired against our will, darling.” He spoke soberly now. “She was a tyrant and took what she wanted, or whatever she thought would bring her power. One of the strongest Masters in the world, she sat the Vampire Council in Rome and they didn’t rein her in because most of them were just like her. When Quinn managed to kill her, which many Masters on the Council believed was a fluke, they denied him her seat among them. He was replaced by another. And he’s been scheming to reclaim what he believes he should have had, ever since.”
“I see.” Ariana frowned as she glanced to where Quinn was chatting with a pair of darkly sexy Masters now who looked Spanish. It was the first she had heard of Quinn’s broader agenda in Vampire society other than fighting for Vampire equality; and she wondered about it now, if taking on his Council of Rome was part of why he wanted her budding power on his side.
She was about to ask about it, when someone else approached their group. Tall and darkly handsome but not Italian, the man was deeply composed as he approached. Wearing a modern tux with a dark blue jacket and a black bow tie, he was tall and uncannily elegant, his cheekbones beautifully high and his features a male model perfection that even Quinn didn’t have. As he pinned Ariana with a sensual, powerful gaze, she saw his eyes were deeply cobalt, a drowning color that she instantly fell into. As she took a swift in-breath, she felt his power dive into her; pouring through her like an ocean of darkness that she had no hope of shutting out. Even with Quinn’s magic inside her tonight, that flood took her, impossibly fast.
Rolling her under its dark tide like drowning in an endless sea.
As this new Master Vampire’s power rolled her, Ariana felt Quinn’s magic rush up – blocking her from that massive tempest. Still, the man’s enormous aura was like an ocean around Ariana as she gasped, Curio winding her solidly in his arms as Devi touched her, pouring more of Quinn’s energy into her. Shuddering, Ariana gazed up into the man’s darkly sensual eyes as his perfect lips curled into a smile. Impossible harmonies like flutes in a sea-wind flooded her with the roar of the ocean as she stared up into his beautifully masculine face.
As he bent and took up her hand, kissing it.
“Enchenté, madame.A woman this beautiful should not be lingering at the edges of the night.” He spoke with perfect French and English both as he looked up, only releasing Ariana’s hand after a subtle stroke from his thumb. Shivering, Ariana stared at him, drowning in his beautiful dark blue eyes despite Quinn’s energy flaring all through her.
“Master Arturos Morregain,” Curio spoke now, though even his voice was breathy from the man’s powerful presence. “Do meet Ariana Summers. She is a guest of Quinn’s.”
“And a Dark Fae.” The man smiled with grace, though something deeply intrigued flashed in his vast blue eyes. “As always, Quinn makes bold moves in the Vampire community, presenting her among us tonight.”
“He does.” Devina spoke now as she inclined her head respectfully. “And how have your travels been this year, Arturos? Have you explored the oceans to your satisfaction on your recent sojourn away from Rome?”
“Quite.” He smiled with pleasant elegance to Devi now, cordial. “I spent many long nights in my people’s ancient ruins off the coasts of Indonesia, and a good while deep in the Mariannas Trench. Lovely, to feel such deep waters move at midnight, and all the strange things they contain. It was a nice break from politics, and welcome.”
“Vampires spend time underwater?” Ariana blinked, having never heard that, though she supposed it made sense if they didn’t have to breathe and their bodies were naturally cold.
“Master Arturos is unique among Vampire-kind, Ariana.” Devi spoke shortly as she turned. “Arturos is a Siren by birth, and Vampire-Sirens are vastly difficult to Sire, and thus vastly rare. His Siren bloodline, the Morregains, have been Kings and Queens of the deep for generations.”
“Peace, Devi!” Arturos chuckled, showing more personality now as he smiled with amusement, though a dark blue fire shone in his eyes as he watched Ariana. “I am not Siren nobility anymore, just a Dragon of the Night and the deeps who prefers his alone time, though Quinn often drags me out of my dark oceans for soirées.”
“Are you a friend of Quinn’s?” Ariana asked now, curious about this compelling darkwater Vampire and how he was connected to Quinn.
“A very old friend, yes.” Arturos spoke calmly as he smiled at her, intrigued. “But I would very much like to discover how he made your acquaintance, Dark Fae. You carry Quinn’s protection tonight, but I sense you aren’t Kissed to him yet. You may wish to consider it, soon. For you are too beautiful a creature to lose suddenly to the Council, who would be deeply interested in you and not in a good way. If you wish for frank conversation about our world, you are welcome to speak with me. I will be in residence here at the Hotel for the next few weeks; Devi and Curio know my haunts.”
Pinning Ariana with his dark blue eyes, Arturos Morregain took up her hand again, brushing his lips over it in a parting kiss. But suddenly, his massive sea of power swirled in a maelstrom – thundering in through the touch of his lips upon Ariana’s skin. It didn’t seem like he’d intended it, but Ariana couldn’t fight it as that enormous energy was suddenly drowning her, pouring through her in a rip-tide. Even Quinn’s magic couldn’t keep it back as Arturos’ Vampire-Siren aura rolled Ariana from head to heels and she gasped. The roar of the ocean devoured her as darkness heaved in. Sinking to his inundating floes, Ariana could taste sweet brine upon her lips, and oysters, as Arturos breathed with a sexy intensity all through her.
As he glanced up from his bow, riveted by her also – his dark blue eyes holding the weight of every ocean in the world.
Curio’s quick movement saved her. Seizing her chin and turning her head, he kissed her hard, breaking her gaze from Arturos’. As he did, the Vampire-Fae poured a winter’s chill so fast and hard inside Ariana that she felt Arturos’ sea freeze like a vast plain of ice, smashing to pieces like icebergs inside her. It hurt a lot to have Curio turn all that dark eros suddenly into ice inside her veins. But Ariana found herself clutching Curio now, kissing him back as she fought to not be taken by Arturos’ massive magic. Because it wasn’t just Curio’s winter-bright energy pouring through her now, pushing that drowning darkness back.
It was Quinn’s – searing through Ariana in a maelstrom from Curio’s kiss.
Fire-bright rather than dark, Quinn’s power was somehow alive and hot as it roared through Ariana. Casting that sea of darkness back, Quinn’s raging energy replaced Arturos’ cobalt night with a blistering light as it blazed inside her. Heat lit her up through every vein; every limb suddenly sang with a massive shot of adrenaline. As her entire body jolted, on fire with energy as bright as the sun, Arturos’ sea-dark power was cast out of her.
Completely.
Breaking from her with a gasp, Curio stared at Ariana like a man seeing color for the very first time as his eyes burned pure silver. As he shuddered from head to heels, glancing to Quinn with a shocked look, Ariana saw Quinn was now staring at her and Arturos with a hardness in his dark onyx gaze, his body still as marble as his dark eyes blazed. He was like a demon as he watched them from across the gallery, and Ariana could practically feel his fire-bright fury searing all through her though he was controlling it. But all around him now, a nimbus of roaring black energy seethed in the hall, tinged with fire-bright flickers of red and gold.
As Arturos stood very still, gazing not at Ariana now but Quinn.
Slowly, Quinn reeled in his massive display of magic, gradually changing from astonished wrath at Arturos’ kiss to a deeply quiet rage as his black nimbus flowed away. Before Ariana, Arturos Morregain was quiet also, his dark blue eyes flashing with power as he watched Quinn. Something passed between them, like a lance of magic so fast that Ariana hardly felt it, and Arturos shuddered. Bowing almost jerkily to Ariana, he strode from the gallery – as Quinn’s gaze followed him all the way. As Arturos left, Quinn seemed to fume as his black magic roiled.
And then he was striding after Arturos – casting aside the velvet drapes of the foyer and disappearing into the shadows beyond.
CHAPTER 11 – COMPEL
