Key to Conflict Read online

  “She is residing here, in your home, for a start. That alone makes her a target. Every soul in this village we protect and hold dear is a target. Gillian is also a combat-experienced soldier, Aleksei. I read that clearly in your mind. She can advise us tactically, help protect these people if it comes to open conflict on our doorstep. We will need every ally we can get.”

  Tanis never was one to mince words. Aleksei glowered at him, but he continued. “Aleksei, like it or not, her life and the lives of our village are now in mortal danger. Aside from direct assassination, she could be used as a means to manipulate you if she is captured.

  “If Dracula is here, if he has operatives in the area, then he already knows of her acquaintance with you. It is in her best interest and ours if we attempt to utilize her knowledge and she agrees to accept our protection.”

  “And will you personally guarantee her safety?” Aleksei had been an honorable man in life; being a Vampire hadn’t changed his basic nature.

  “She did not come here to be a soldier, Tanis; that is in her past. She is a clinical psychologist now, here at my behest, to help me with what has plagued me these long years.”

  Tanis stepped up close to his brother, gently laying his hands on Aleksei’s shoulders. “No true practicing psychologist would have lost her temper with me as she did. No one but a veteran soldier would have stepped in front of you with nothing but a ten-inch silver blade between her and death to face whatever was coming through that door. Gillian Key is not what she seems.”

  “And how did you come to this particular conclusion, Tanis?” Aleksei crossed his arms over his impressive chest, looking intently into his brother’s golden eyes. He did not want to believe that Gillian had deceived him or was something more than what she had represented herself.

  Tanis smirked. “I am not so far removed from the world as you would believe, dear brother. I do read the occasional magazine or watch an occasional television program or newscast. The professional standards of her field would prohibit her from behaving in such a manner in the first place. She would have been behind you or a table at the first sign of trouble and she never would have started an antagonistic dialogue with me. Demonstrations of logical behavior and thought are important to those in her profession. Blatant aggression is not.

  “Her purpose here is clandestine, Aleksei, mark my words. We need to ascertain what her true purpose is for being in Romania and taking you on as a patient. Meanwhile, we will keep her safe. I swear I will give her my protection as well. The good doctor will have to put aside her idiotic Human feminist principles and allow us to look after her.” He smiled, and it wasn’t a friendly smile, but rather toothy.

  “Tanis…” Aleksei’s tone said it all. Having Tanis and Gillian in a confrontational situation so soon after their disastrous meeting did not seem like a wise course of action.

  “I give you my word, Aleksei. I will try to curtail any unreasonable, outdated and chauvinistic male instincts I harbor. However, if she lies to us about her purpose here, or if she accosts me again gratuitously, you may expect repercussions,” Tanis said resolutely. “Now go get her, and let us see if we can discuss this with civility.”

  Leaving to get Gillian from the pub, Aleksei wasn’t sure about the two of them having the capability for a civil discussion.

  Tanis was only five years younger than he, but he’d never gotten around to conforming to modern ideals and thoughts, mostly due to his solitary predisposition. Even as a Daywalker, Tanis had not been the most sociable of creatures. As a Vampire, he was positively reclusive.

  Aleksei had tried to make it a point to keep up with current trends through the ages, but Tanis seemed stuck in ground zero of the sixteen hundreds. He rarely had lengthy contact with any of his prey, though he enjoyed brief female companionship when he desired a taste of flesh, but never allowed himself a deeper involvement. Aleksei suspected that was partly due to Tanis’s insistence on maintaining an arrogance and attitude that was out of place in the current century.

  Tanis was stunningly attractive and had no trouble finding a woman for company. Keeping her was quite another matter when she found out how overtly chauvinistic and domineering he could be.

  Tanis hadn’t had a serious relationship of any kind in centuries, Aleksei was certain. Neither had he, for that matter, Aleksei thought wryly, even if for different reasons. Having Gillian under foot was bound to create some serious fireworks at some point.

  The situation with Dracula aside, Aleksei wasn’t looking forward to spending time with his younger brother and thoroughly liberated therapist. He was already struggling to keep his own interest in her locked down beneath an iron will. The fact that she may have lied to him and gotten away with it displeased him to no end. If that were true, he needed to have a little chat with her.

  He found Gillian in the pub, teaching Peter, Paul and Mary songs to a rapt audience of locals. The interior of dark Gothic paneling, heavy carved tables, chairs, booths and paneling gave the pub an Old World charm and presence. The bar was on one side, the wall behind it lined with bottles of various alcoholic concoctions. All the lighting was from candles or oil lamps. Sacele was proud of its ancient Romanian heritage and kept to the old ways in many aspects outsiders could not fathom.

  Gillian was at the other end of the room, strumming a guitar while Radu accompanied her on a fiddle. Her enthusiastic audience applauded when she finished, calling for more. Laughing, she crushed out her cigarette, waving merrily to Aleksei.

  Telling the crowd, “Later,” she handed Radu the guitar, and joined Aleksei at his table in a darkened corner of the bar. Sighing, he tried to explain what was about to transpire and eventually what he was concerned with about her.

  Gillian listened without interrupting. This was very bad. This was very, very bad. Some of her prior patients had told her about the real Prince Dracula. It was a name spoken of in whispers if it was spoken at all. All Vampires that she’d had contact with feared him, even those of his direct line.

  He’d risen out of obscurity in Transylvania in the fourteen hundreds, a warlord who had loved and freed his people from the Turks, by unorthodox methods to be sure. Dracula had been a national hero, beloved, almost worshipped—the Romanian King Arthur of his time.

  Somewhere, somehow, something dark and evil had gotten to him, turned him, changed him. The hero he had been was transformed into a bloodthirsty psychopath who stopped at nothing to inspire fear and intimidation in his enemies and in his own people. The only other plausible explanation was that he had always been inherently evil and, like a good sociopath, he’d hidden it well for a time before revealing himself.

  Dracula had started a reign of terror among mortals and Paramortals alike. He’d taken only the most beautiful, the most desirable, most wealthy and most morally bereft men and women that he could find.

  There were rival Vampire lineages but Dracula’s were the most feared, since a large percentage of them were as psychotic as their Liege Lord. Gillian had met at least two of his line in her practice, she recalled grimly. At least one of which she’d been sure of. He’d been consumed by guilt and wanted to assimilate what was his fault and what was in response to his Lord’s direction.

  The second had been very skilled at cloaking himself from her empathy. By the time she discovered how psychotic he truly was, she had been alone, on a visit to a kill site with him when his true nature and fangs had come out.

  He’d almost killed her because she had let her guard down trying to establish some kind of compassionate contact. It was only pure luck that she had killed him first. He’d only been a fledgling Vampire and not very powerful. That experience left her with a definite uneasiness about her abilities for awhile.

  Time and exorcising her own personal fears had allowed her to overcome them. Hearing Aleksei’s explanations of the danger they were all in sent real fear coursing through her veins. She so did not sign on for this. A centuries-old Vampire like Dracula who was a true sociopath was not somet
hing she was prepared to deal with.

  Aleksei’s lovely voice continued on, telling her about his own family history. She felt a twinge of unease when he revealed to her that he and Tanis were also of the pathological Prince’s lineage.

  One of Dracula’s Vampires, a female named Nadia, had managed to seduce Tanis first. It had been a calculated move, the equivalent of a Mafia hit. Tanis had been thirty, young, volatile, arrogant and adventuresome. While Human, was a vocal opponent of Dracula’s influence and crimes, following the opinion of the rest of the Rachlav family.

  Nadia had been beautiful, seductive and single-minded on orders that were never proven to come from Dracula himself. She’d bedded Tanis, turned him and left him in the space of two weeks, barely fulfilling her obligation as his Maker. Aleksei was left with a temperamental and incredibly dangerous younger brother to protect from his own family, most of whom wanted to end Tanis’s suffering on the end of a sharpened stake.

  Tanis was way ahead of them on that idea. He had tried to end his life at first. Frightened of what he’d become, he tried intimidation tactics without actually killing anyone and placing himself at the mercy of a bloodthirsty mob of peasants armed with pitchforks and torches.

  When Aleksei intervened, literally stepping in front of that enraged mob to protect his younger brother, Tanis had fled. It was months before they saw him again. The younger Rachlav returned to ask his brother to witness his suicide: Facing The Sun the following morning. It seemed that he’d learned a few things during his absence about Vampire culture and tradition.

  Aleksei surprised him by bringing a number of family members to the event and making an impassioned plea for Tanis’s life. He convinced the family and Tanis that they were better off with a reborn, live brother than a truly dead one. The suicide was called off, Tanis was welcomed home by brother, family and the village, who hadn’t quite been ready to destroy the second son of their benevolent local Count.

  Soon after that, in another preemptive strike, Aleksei had been taken. This time there was no question that it was a deliberate act on Dracula’s part to wipe out his vocal opponent’s family.

  There was no seduction; Aleksei had been attacked one night by one or more Vampires—he still could not clearly remember—drained and left for dead. Tanis had found him breathing his last by the side of the road. Giving his brother his own powerful blood and keeping him hidden during the transformation, Tanis brought his sibling over into rebirth without a moment’s hesitation. Aleksei hadn’t forgiven him for the first fifty years, hadn’t spoken to him either except for the first few critical weeks as a fledgling when Tanis had to teach him how to hunt and to survive.

  Going from a thirty-five-year-old noble to a reborn Count took some getting used to. Strangely, it had been Aleksei who had made a better adjustment eventually, even with all his angst.

  Tanis remained angry. Nadia had been the last woman he’d actually trusted in four hundred years. He had no use for Human females except for food and the occasional sex partner when the interminable loneliness became too much to bear.

  That particular indulgence he had not pursued in over a century. He fed almost exclusively on men or women he did not find particularly attractive. He had no desire to share a blood-and-sex bond with anyone.

  Aleksei felt badly for Tanis’s reclusive tendencies but he always returned to touch base and reconnect with his older brother after disappearing for years at a time. Tanis was the older Vampire by a few months but Aleksei was more powerful and more stable from the onset of their Shadowed Rebirth.

  Tanis had traveled the world, mostly keeping to uninhabited areas, focusing on a career in archeology, where he could work alone and undisturbed. It kept him isolated and kept his highly intelligent mind focused and active. Aleksei remained in his homeland, looking after the people of Sacele and the lands around his castle, bound by a code of honor that was as old as the Country itself. The two didn’t always get along, but whenever Aleksei had needed him, Tanis had been there.

  Facts, suppositions and strategies were all forming in Gillian’s mind. She was stuck there. She’d agreed to see Aleksei and she would honor that commitment. Now she was forced into another role of self-preservation and of consorting with not only her client but his family and the villagers as well.

  When Aleksei pointed out that he and Tanis suspected her of being a bit more than a psychologist, Gillian slammed her shields down with a force that almost hurt. He was attuned to her, she’d been open and receptive. That kind of reaction to his assertion was all the confirmation he needed that she was there with another agenda.

  Blushing furiously under his intense silvery gaze and pissed off that she’d been so obvious, Gillian hadn’t actually admitted to anything but she had confirmed that she was still able to operate legally in soldier mode and lend whatever assistance she could. She also assured him that she genuinely was a doctoral-level clinical psychologist and that everything that transpired between them would remain confidential. She was still legitimately his therapist for as long as he wanted her.

  Aleksei didn’t press her for further disclosure right then. He did let her know he was rather annoyed and disappointed that she’d used him for her cover and had deceived him, but right now they had bigger fish to fry.

  Gillian realized several things. One, she was totally screwed. Leaving was out, even if she could have convinced the oh-so-studly Count Rachlavs to let her leave. Two, whether they knew her cover was blown or not, she wasn’t done ferreting out what the hell was going on in Romania with the burgeoning fanged turf war.

  If she left, Dracula would be sure to have her killed. He did not believe in the mixing of Vampire and Human, according to what Aleksei told her at the pub. A belief not shared by most Vampires or other Paramortals and certainly not by the Rachlav clan. Aleksei was quick to point out that while he and Tanis were of Dracula’s direct lineage through the Vampire virus, they were allied elsewhere, in direct opposition to the Line of their ultimate creator and Master.

  An important fact she learned was that Dracula’s subordinates generally believed that Humans were cattle to be fed upon, used and controlled. Vampires did not need to be out in the open, subjecting themselves to Human laws. Humans who tried to mix in with Vampires for any sort of relationship other than as a prey animal should not be allowed to live. Such was Prince Dracula’s decree.

  The occasional “appropriate” Human may be turned for expansion of Big D’s empire or to subvert his enemies, but for the most part they were amusing sustenance only. Humans were not to be nurtured, brought into any Vampire’s affairs, cared for or done business with. They were food. You do not make friends with your food.

  Aleksei went a long way to reassure Gillian that she was under his and Tanis’s protection. He would be her patient but she must trust them in matters of her safety. The prospect of dealing with Tanis on a nightly basis set her teeth on edge, but Gillian was practical. Survival skills had always been her strong suit. She’d comply. She just didn’t have to comply happily.

  “All right. I’m not happy about it but I’ll do it. Now I need to let the IPPA and my superiors know what the hell is going on.”

  And won’t they just be thrilled shitless, she thought as she went to make the call, mentally bracing herself in preparation of telling them that there definitely was a slight problem in “Fangland” and who was behind it.

  Gillian made her call and got special dispensation from the grand pooh-bahs at the IPPA to remain and act as she saw fit. Fortunately they had a twenty-four-hour emergency line, she had a calling card and both Major Aristophenes and Dr. Gerhardt were in.

  Her license would have been on the line if she had blurred the boundary lines too drastically between client and counselor as she might have to do to keep all them alive, without express permission. The Marine Corps and the IPPA gave her their full support and blessing since Aleksei was wise to her anyway. She was on her own tactically. They couldn’t send anyone in to help her jus
t yet. Act with discretion, complete her mission, take care of her patients and stay alive were her orders.

  The IPPA was used to dealing with crazy shit, but a full Vampire turf war was a new one. The Human conflict with the Paramortal world had left everyone a little obsequious and suspicious with each other. Having one of their highly trained therapist/ operatives caught in the middle of such a conflict required desperate actions and a writing of new policy jointly with Gillian’s division of the USMC.

  By the time Gillian had gotten off the phone, there was already paperwork in place to protect her against any malpractice or court martial in the course of her duties with this situation. Covering her ass was a specialty that she was proud of.

  Riding back with her to the cottage, Aleksei watched her driving. Outwardly, she was cool, calm, although she’d consumed a large amount of alcohol during their discussion. She was chain-smoking, however, drawing the smoke deep into her lungs and almost sighing it out. Inwardly, from what he could read on the surface of her mind, there was chaos. She felt trapped, insecure about the enemy she was going to face and vastly irritated at being discovered.

  Used to being in command of her life and, in military situations, of her troops, it grated on Gillian to have to rely on the Rachlavs. She knew, however, that the situations in which she might find herself would be wholly alien to her. This was their world and what it harbored could kill her…or worse.

  Guns and Human thinking were irrelevant. Silver bullets, flamethrowers, a crossbow, her own psychic sensitivity, a large amount of Paramortal ability and protection from Aleksei, Tanis and their allies would be what would keep her alive. She needed them. It pissed her off and made her knee-jerk response of getting the hell out of there seem paramount.

  Aleksei’s amused voice was low but full of power as he caught her surface thought without trying. “You are a soldier, Doctor. A warrior, trained to be a weapon for your own people. I know you will not run. You may fight, but you will never run.”