Why wouldn’t they all be like that?”
Rurik tilted my chin so he could gaze into my eyes. “That’s very perceptive and you’re right. They’re like jackals waiting to see who will come out on top.”
“So this fight will remain between Luckard and Tane until one of them is dead.” I sighed. “Two of his clan went with him to hunt down the assassin. Will they really help?”
“I don’t know. I doubt even Tane knows.”
“He’s all alone.” Surrounded by people, yet unable to trust, confide, or truly depend on any of them. I could relate, being homeless was similar. I snuggled closer to my lover, trying to steal what little warmth he produced. “What happens when a women tries to become Nosferatu?”
“They die.”
I licked my lips. “Why can I be bound then?”
“Becoming a vampire has nothing to do with blood like the bond. At the point of death, the creator binds the soul to the dead body, with women being turned by a Nosferatu, I was told the souls flee.” Rurik caressed my cheek. “I’ll tell you a secret since you’ll be in contact with Tane’s clan at times.”
I nodded and held my breath.
“To transform into a Nosferatu one has to already be a vampire.”
I sat up straight. “You’re shitting me. Not only do you have to be a man, but a vampire as well. No wonder the vampire nation is so screwed up.”
Rurik barked out a laugh. It dispelled the heavy mood sitting on my heart. “The tub should be getting full. Let’s get you undressed.”
I grinned as he set me on my feet and let him lead me into the bathroom where the huge black tub shone with steaming hot water.
Rurik shut off the water and undid his shirt.
I sat on the edge and watched.
“Every political faction sent a representative when Tane disappeared as a gesture of support, which translates into someone being inside to keep tabs on everything. The majority appears happy to find him alive and well. There are some who don’t approve of the changes Tane implemented, though.”
Dragging my gaze from Rurik’s well-defined chest, I watched as his shirt fluttered to the floor. “Changes?”
With a flick of his wrist, he opened his fly and slid his pants off. “Zero tolerance for murder.”
“You had those laws already.”
“But Dragos only enforced them when it served his purpose, like in Budapest. Tane rules with an iron fist in comparison. It makes certain factions nervous.”
“Enough to kill him.”
“Maybe.” He tugged at my blanket. “You’re still covered. Come in the water. I promise to warm you.”
I undressed with Rurik’s help and slipped into the hot water. The heat stung, however after a moment it seeped into my muscles and I melted into the tub. Finally, the chattering of my teeth slowed.
Rurik settled behind my back and massaged the knots in my shoulders. “You’re so tense.”
“That tends to happen when someone tries to kill me,” I snapped, and instantly regretted it. “Sorry. I feel terrible.” Drawing my knees to my chest, I leaned my forehead on them. “As I watched Tane get shot all I worried about was myself. I’m a selfish person.”
“When did self-preservation become selfish? Tane’s survived worse.” He placed a light kiss on my shoulder. “I’m pleased with the results.”
I sighed. “He saved me, you know.”
“You sound surprised.” My lover poured hot water over my hair with his cupped hands. “He’s not a cruel person, Connie.”
“I’m starting to understand that.” The water coursed through my curls and I closed my eyes. Tane hinted he and Rurik had been more than friends once. Rurik never gave me the impression he found men attractive. Then again, he always made me feel like the most beautiful person in the room so I wouldn’t have noticed if he liked anyone else.
He stopped pouring the water. Quiet gathered around us like a comfortable blanket.
My thoughts circled around to Tane sitting on the deck pining for my boyfriend. I couldn’t let it go. They’d been friends for a long time, exchanging letters while I traveled with Rurik, and now this. I shifted between Rurik’s legs.
“You’re thinking hard again, I can almost sense your worry through your mental shields. Tane will be fine. If your life was in danger I’d be out there with them.”
Not even close to what I thought. I glanced at him over my shoulder. Water dripped from his hair onto his broad shoulders. “How did you meet Tane?”
My question struck a nerve. Rurik was skilled in hiding his emotions, except we’d been together long enough for me to see through some of the veil. He blinked, an unnecessary action for a vampire. “Why?”
“You claim he’s a good person and you want me to be nicer, but I need something to help change my mind.”
He chuckled. No mirth carried in the sound. “I never said he was good. He is a loyal friend, though, with better intentions than most. Is that better?”
I twisted around to face him. “No.” This time he wouldn’t divert my question. The past made us who we were and I knew so little about Rurik. “When did you first meet Tane?”
Chapter Seventeen
Glancing away, Rurik wouldn’t meet my stare. The sculpted line of his jaw twitched.
“I met Tane at the hot springs of Mageurite Island in Budapest.”
Restraining my need to bop him on the head, I took a deep breath. “I didn’t ask where.”
His gaze flicked back to mine. “I was still human.”
The pit of my stomach dropped as I recalled Rurik’s story of how the Romans took the most attractive young men and women in the area to work at the springs. They did more than help bathe the clients and they weren’t given a choice. I didn’t know what to say, so for once I kept my mouth shut.
“Tane discovered me there. I think, at first, he didn’t see me as more than entertainment, but after a few nights things changed. He purchased me then introduced me to my creator, who brought me across as a vampire.”
“Tane didn’t do it?”
Rurik shook his head. “No, Nosferatu can only bring other vampires across into their clan. They can’t make humans vampires.”
“Wow.” How interesting. “So he can never bring me over if I decide to cross?”
“No, that honor would be all mine.” He smiled. “After my change, he assisted with the revenge I brought down on those who tore me from my home.” Even after centuries, a touch of anger still simmered in his voice.
Taken from his home and his family at a young age, I never considered the future he might have had—a wife and children, his own fishing boat like his father, maybe a little cottage. I touched his cheek with the back of my hand.
“Tane brought me to his home in Dragos’s court and I learned new skills.” He slid his hands around my waist, then continued around to caress my behind, as if to show me what skills he’d learned.
“Then you were lovers.” I held my breath.
He nodded.
If his face showed worry or sadness I couldn’t tell. My own worries blinded me.
There’d been small hints so why the shock? Because I’d been hoping it wasn’t true.
Ignorance was bliss and the truth bitch-slapped me upside the head. The sound of Rurik’s voice pulled me from my dread of losing him to Tane.
“Dragos hated me at first sight. He saw me as a representation of a new type of vampire being bred.”
“Handsome and intelligent instead of brutal and predatory,” I whispered His smile warmed at my comment as if pleased by my insight. “Exactly, but he saw me as soft and weak. After the second attempt on my life in Dragos’s court Tane sent me away. The rest is history and should be kept for another night.”
“Why?” My cry echoed in the steam-filled bathroom. What other secrets did he keep? Tane lived down the hall and wanted him back. The king of vampires now, not some courtier, and Rurik did love power. He never needed to tell me that. No one struggled and fought with politics like he did, unless they craved the power it gave.