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I narrowed my eyes, unsure I caught his meaning. “Is that gibberish something to do with gaming?”
“Yes.”
“Well, the reality is, a group of us would attract too much attention. My presence is the only one required, so it was best I come alone.”
“But why you?”
“When an elder dies or is killed, it causes a catastrophic shift of energy. If that shift isn’t controlled and reassigned properly, it could trigger the demise of our entire species. Only a vampire with enough power to balance the shift and absorb the energy will succeed, meaning a direct descendant or the next eldest in line. It’s how order is assured.”
“And you’re the next in line.”
“Yes. Like I told you. It’s dangerous. Iulian will likely be in a severe state of torpor. Waking him will be a challenge, and I’m the only one with the power to do it safely.”
“Who did this to him? Who took him? Why?”
I weaved our legs together and kissed him lightly, brushing a thumb along his jaw. “None of this affects you. Put it from your mind.”
“I want to know. If you’re in danger—”
“I’ll be fine, Ensley. It’s my war, not yours.”
The troubled look in his eyes told me he wasn’t going to let it go, so I kissed him again and brought our foreheads together. My body surged with need. I wanted to take him again, sink into his body and get lost in the euphoria of his mouth and touch. But the claws of hunger scraped at my insides, itching and burning and becoming harder to control. In the throes of passion, particularly at the cusp of orgasm, it was worse, and I couldn’t risk it.
I would not feed on him. It would only fortify this bond, and the temptation to take it one step further was not something I would ever consider.
“Okay,” I said, reining in control. “I’ll tell you.”
Resting on the same pillow, mouths a hairsbreadth apart, I continued talking. “There are many clans among my people. Families. Not related, necessarily, but bonded groups. Our numbers have grown exponentially over the past few centuries. Some feel it’s out of control. Our existence has always been a point of speculation among humans. A fable or myth. Some believed, but most didn’t. When the first king died, awareness grew. Still, it was never a problem until Valerius got power-hungry and basically exposed us.”
“Who’s he?”
“Head of a lesser clan. It’s the same foundation that drives so many human wars. The main bloodline, mine, is incredibly wealthy, and Valerius wants wealth and power. He wants to rule. He wants land and assets. The greater our numbers, the worse the division.
“He developed the first tribe of human hunters in eastern Europe and taught them how to slaughter us. He exposed our weaknesses and trained them. He formed an alliance with these humans, promising them power and wealth to cull our numbers. With human hunters, he was able to set a trap for Iulian and eliminate him as a leader. Iulian cannot be killed, or Valerius risks destroying us all, so Iulian is still alive. Valerius has an army of humans at his side. Unless I bring Iulian back so he can reclaim order, Valerius’s power will continue to grow.”
“Aren’t you more powerful than him?”
“Not while Iulian is alive. If he dies, and the ancient shift occurs, I would then be superior, but as it stands, with Valerius’s growing human army, things are deteriorating back home.”
“I don’t like this.”
I smiled sadly. “Nor do I.”
What I didn’t say was that my heart wasn’t entirely in it. More than a dozen times a day, I wondered if maybe it was past time for this curse to be eradicated. Part of me longed for the final death. I was tired of this lonely existence, wandering endlessly on the outskirts of a world I no longer recognized.
I was about to change the subject and request stories of Ensley’s past when I noticed his eyelids droop. His facial muscles slackened as sleep dragged him under. Instead, I watched him drift into slumber while we lay tangled together.
It was past midnight when he slept deeply enough that I felt safe leaving without waking him. He would be angry, but there was no help for it.
I had things to do.
19
Mordecai
Sleep rejuvenated me somewhat, but the strain on my body was telling. Sex didn’t help. The sheer willpower involved in not biting Ensley during the cusp of orgasm had drained me further. My abilities were weak and harder to draw upon with each passing day. If I didn’t do some reconnaissance now, I wouldn’t be able to.
I should have found a stranger, fed, and gathered my strength so I was clearheaded enough to formulate a proper plan. But my desperation wasn’t elevated enough to make the notion desirable.
