Bete Noire Page 10

  When Ash finished her rundown of instructions, Sebastian gave a low bow and turned away to clean up the dining table. Ash spun on her heel looking grim as she stalked towards the door to leave.

  “Wanna fill me in here?”

  “On the way,” she snapped as she jerked the door open.

  Tristan sighed to himself.

  Great. Now she was in a bad mood. He wasn’t entirely sure exactly why either. They were in a foreign country on their way to an ancient vampire’s home to force said Master to give up a man that Ash had once had physical relations with, after having their own personal time interrupted by one of Yuki’s serfs, a man neither of them trusted.

  Right, pick one.

  At the door, Tristan stopped and looked back at Sebastian. He hadn’t anything personal he was leaving behind since his bag was in that trunk, but still, he didn’t like the guy being alone in their room.

  Ash stepped into him, making him flinch at her sudden movement. “Do not let your guard down, not for a moment,” she said softly, eyes on the man in their hotel room.

  “Don’t trust Yuki’s man?”

  “Of course not. You know I trust no one.” Tristan opened his mouth to complain, but then she added, “Except you.”

  “Sensible,” he said.

  She nodded. “The last person I trusted killed me.” She met his eyes, something dark and guarded in her own. “You will not kill me, will you… Uruwashi?”

  Tristan swallowed hard, anxiety tickling down his spine. His voice came out softer than he wanted when he answered, “Never.”

  8: More Human than Human

  A WRACKING yawn shook Tristan and he shoved his hands into his pockets, gave a little shiver. Apparently, his warmer winter coat was in the trunk that was on the plane. And, apparently, there was a delay in having it sent to their room. Ash was more than a little steamed over that. At that moment, Tristan was too tired to care why. Back in Akita, it was mid-morning already. He was tired, starting his night over like this, and there were still hours and hours until he could sleep again.

  Ash was marching off ahead of him, dressed in her less than active-wear outfit, looking sexy and smart, even if she was missing a few buttons. Despite the low temps, she seemed completely comfortable. Then again, she was really angry; maybe that was keeping her blood warm. But Tristan was starting to suspect that she just didn’t feel the cold the same way he did. Vampire ‘n all. He’d ask, but it wasn’t worth the dirty look he knew he’d inevitably get.

  Another ragged yawn brought tears to Tristan’s eyes. Before he could finish, he ran right into Ash. He let out a shocked noise and snapped his mouth shut, mid-yawn.

  “Sorry,” he muttered with a sheepish grin.

  Ash only blinked up at him. Sometimes he wondered why he bothered and then felt a rush of regret at the mean thought. Sure they didn’t have a “real” relationship, but he wasn’t the type to give up, not when he wanted something—someone so badly. She was constantly keeping him at a distance, but he was willing to keep pushing forward because he knew she was just lying to herself about how she really felt.

  Her eye twitched as she heard, and ignored, his thoughts.

  “Where are we going?” he asked casually.

  “Audric lives outside of the city.”

  “Let me guess, middle of nowhere.”

  Ash gave him a look, small as it was. “Did you think Yukihime’s was the only burrow of vampires in isolation? That you would find someone so ancient in the middle of a busy city?”

  “Not really, but it seems easier to find a meal in a big city.”

  “We prefer our privacy over the convenience of food. There is always blood to be found...”

  “Right.” He shivered again as the cold got to him. “Soooo… we walking to this Audric guy’s house or what?”

  That twitch again, she was more annoyed than usual and he was too tired to care. Ash produced a key fob from her cleavage. Tristan smirked wondering what else she was hiding in there and if she’d let him have a peek.

  Another chill tore its way down Tristan’s back. He didn’t mind the cold really, but once it set in too deep, he wasn’t good at dealing with it. “Can we get going already?”

  “Does killing Lucien mean that much to you?”

  Tristan bristled, flinching at her dark mien, the bite in her words. After a moment he made a face as if he bit into something sour. “It’s cold out. I’m cold.”

  Ash harrumphed at him and held up the fob, pushing the button to make a chirp sound from the end of the row.

  “That’s one hell of a rental,” Tristan whispered as they came upon the car Yuki lined up for them. Exotic, sleek and beautiful like a prowling white panther, it was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen in person: a brand new shiny Bugatti Veyron. He knew there was a reason he liked Volkswagen so much.

  “Yuki’s got a thing for white, huh?”

  Ash scoffed and he turned to look at her. “I asked for a convertible.”

  “In the middle of winter?”

  She looked up to him, desperation in her eyes. That’s right, she had a problem with him and close quarters. The “incident” in the hotel was a result of that. Not that it was all that bad... He rather enjoyed their little tumble, even if they didn’t even get a chance to get naked and really into it. Tristan groaned to himself, remembering how close they came.

  Ash, feeling his emotions, let out a shaky breath. The interruption disappointed her more than he’d ever understand.

  Knowing Ash would insist on driving, Tristan didn’t even argue about climbing in on the passenger side. Being a tall guy, he found a lot of sports cars uncomfortable and this supercar was no exception. He had to do yoga-like moves to just get his legs inside. The leather was cold, but welcomed him like the arms of a lover. Tucked into the car finally, his whole body sank into the seat and molded to the leather like the car was telling him he belonged. He liked belonging.

  The dash was smooth black and he reached out, gently running his fingertips over the surface. His hand moved along the door ledge as he pulled it shut, sliding across the top edge, admiring its exquisite, exotic beauty. Ash laughed, causing him to jump and he jerked around to give her a questioning look.

  She gave him a sly askance grin as she pushed the key into the ignition. “You act if it is my skin you are caressing.”

  He gave her a crooked smile, fingers still moving over the door. “Not even close. But, you have to admit, it’s damn sexy.”

  Ash gave the small interior a quick look around, taking it all in, in a matter of seconds and shrugged. “I suppose.”

  This made Tristan raise an eyebrow. “I mean, come on, how can you not appreciate an 8 liter W16-cylinder with four turbos and top speed of 250 mph…?” Ash blinked at him a moment and then he frowned, looking away as he mumbled, “I know more about this car than you.”

  Ash returned his frown. She wanted so badly to just tell him everything, every detail of her life, what she was thinking and feeling. But she knew if she did, she would lose him. Perhaps it was time for them to part after all. Losing him would be more bearable than the looks of disappointment and fear.

  Tristan cleared his throat, refusing to look her way again. “You know the way?”

  “Yes,” she answered softly. “I do.”

  “Great.”

  Mood solemn, Ash thumbing the ignition button below the shifter. The sound of a jet plane vibrated throughout the interior, across their chests and into the recesses of their bodies. Tristan reveled in it. Ash cracked her window, completely negating the heater as she gave the gas a quick jab, making the exhaust belt out it’s lovely siren’s song.

  Tristan couldn’t help but smile. And then yelped when Ash took off, nearly clipping the car parked next to them when the tires failed to keep up with the sudden jolt of power and mix of snow. She paused long enough to check for traffic—a slim second. Three seconds later they were barreling through the busy city at over 60 mph. Tristan let go of his tension a
nd laughed hard. Ash was smiling too, enjoying the thrill. Really, she liked the car as much as she liked showing off her vampiric reflexes.

  They moved out of the city quickly and into the quieter countryside. Ash sped through the windy roads like a seasoned Formula driver, but it was reasonable enough that Tristan could relax. Besides, with her reflexes, what could happen? The trip was quiet, despite the deep drone of motor and exhaust, and comfortable despite the icy wind coming from Ash’s open window tearing through his clothing and hair. He slipped farther down into the seat, his arms crossed over his chest. And though he was cold, the seats warmed up his ass and back enough that he had to fight off the urge to doze.

  Until Ash suddenly spoke, starling Tristan out of his half sleep. “He’s a faerie.”

  His head snapped up. “Wh—excuse me?”

  “Sebastian. He is a faerie.”

  “Uh...” Tristan shook his head, wiling his brain to catch up. Where they in the middle of a conversation? “I take it you don’t mean he’s gay, right?”

  Ash shot him a quick glance, pale brows pinched in confusion. “It is a trait of the fae to be gay. You will almost never find him frowning. In fact, he may even hum or sing while he does the most menial chores. All fae are rather jovial. I find it rather amusing actually.”

  Hum or sing? What, like Snow White, whistle-while-you-work crap? “No,” he sighed and sat up in his seat, trying to clear the fog in his head. Damn, I’m tired. “Homosexual.”

  She gave him another look, a white brow pulled up in curiosity. “Oh. Well, yes, indeed. Faerie are not particular on bed partners, except when the need to procreate arises.”

  He snorted. “Arises…”

  “Pardon?”

  “Procreate… arise… oh hell, never mind.” She didn’t get it. That or she really wasn’t in the mood for jokes tonight. And he was definitely too tired to keep trying. “Thought faeries were tiny little things with wings and shit?” The guy was super “petit” anyway.

  Ash gave him another quick glance, taking in his tired stance and returned her eyes to the road. “Wings? Of course not.”

  Tristan snorted. “Didn’t think so.”

  “Sebastian is a male.”

  Tristan sat up straighter, a little more awake now. “So female faeries have wings?”

  Ash shot him a quick brow-furrowed look, lips puckered in irritation like he was being dumb. It wasn’t like Ash ever told him about the non-humans though, how would he know?

  “Faerie, like the vampire, does not exist to the human populous, yet have walked the earth for just as long. The fae are a good-willed, nature-loving race that prefer to keep to themselves when possible but are kindly with humans. They consider themselves healers of a sort, with their restorative constitutions…” And by constitution, she meant blood.

  “So they’re hippies, got it.”

  Ash shot him a look. “Must you always put such bland, stereotypical names on things?” she asked, thinking of his assessment of the pythia way back when. “Magic oracles” he called them.

  He shrugged. “Typecasts exist for a reason, and you know what, I’m just a dumb human, I need mnemonic devices, okay?”

  He was being snippy and Ash didn’t blame him. It was partially her fault.

  “Mind yourself around Sebastian. The fae may be a less violent race than the others but they find themselves in trouble often due to their mischievous nature.”

  “Mischievous nature? You mean shenanigans.” Yeah, he could see it. It was the way Sebastian smiled, the twinkle in his eyes. The man had tons of amusing thoughts he was more than happy to keep to himself, lighting up the back of his eyes.

  Ash smirked but did her best to hide it. “Yes and it is when he decides to not keep those amusing thoughts to himself that you should be weary. He is not to be trusted.”

  “No shit… Well, you’ve got nothing to worry about there, I’ll keep a close eye on the kid.”

  “Kid?” She gave him another dirty look. She was full of them tonight. “The faerie life span is approximately triple that of a human. Our dear Sebastian may only appear to be in his early twenties, however I am sure he is closer to ninety.”

  “No shit?” The guy really did look to be about Tristan’s age. He never would have guessed otherwise. Then again, he was a midget.

  Ash sighed at Tristan’s simplistic account of the man. “The race is in disarray now.”

  “Disarray? Why?”

  “Fae blood is highly restorative. Because of this unfortunate trait, they have been inadvertently hunted to the point of extinction. Yukihime is very fortunate to have several in her service. They are valuable resources.”

  “Resources?” he snapped. “They’re people, Ash, not things. Do everything you vamps do have to be in excess?” He huffed, looking out the window to the dark world. “Christ, can’t you vampires ever leave things alone?”

  “It works both ways.” Ash’s hand touched his arm as if to take the sting out of her words.

  He sank farther down into the leather. She was right. “Are you ever going to tell me the whole truth?”

  “What?” Ash asked taken off guard. She hadn’t heard the thought before he spoke it. He was subconsciously becoming better at masking his thoughts. With some mild training he would be able to block them at will, maybe even permanently.

  “You’re hiding shit from me still.” He turned to look her in the eye. “You’re not lying outright, but I can tell, there’s a shitton of stuff you aren’t telling me.”

  She jerked her attention away, refusing to look at him. “We should be arriving at Audric’s home soon.”

  Just like that, he thought and looked away, watching the fields of grey grass pass slowly by. He slumped down into his seat to pout to himself and try not to mull over the frustration Ash caused him. He must have nodded off again because the next thing he was aware of was icy hands enclosing his face. He gasped, jerking upright in his seat, reaching for his gun.

  Ash smiled coyly, knowing exactly what she had done. “You are faster at that. Good.”

  He let out a puff of air, still trying to recover from the shock. That was twice in so many days that he’d been awakened by a vampire. “Lucky I didn’t shoot you.”

  She smiled big, the not-so-emo Ash shining in those pale purple eyes. He liked the snarky Ash, she was fun. “I look forward to the day you can best me. I truly do.”

  He gave a little chuckle and looked out the windshield, it was starting to fog and he wondered how long they’d been parked there—how long Ash let him sleep. There was a shape through the condensation and he swiped a hand across the windshield to get a better look.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” he murmured, looking up at the castle. A real freakin’ castle. Moss climbed up the drab, weather-worn grey bricks. There were three floors of tall windows, the first floor windows were two stories tall. All of the windows were fitted with metal bars, the ends curling outward into points. No light shone from behind, instead it looked like they were all covered from within by dark wood, shutters maybe.

  He looked to Ash, a smirk playing on his lips. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously,” she answered with the same concealed smirk. “We are in the old world.”

  “No shit.”

  “Tristan, listen I… let us make a deal.”

  “A deal?”

  She gave a nod. “If you put all of your current focus into this hunt and nothing more, I will tell you everything you want to know. Once it is done.”

  He stared at her a moment. He knew what she was saying. If he could stop nagging at her, brooding over her “lies”, let what he didn’t know not bother him, then she’d answer his questions. It was hard for him to let go of things though, even harder for him to trust.

  “I know,” Ash said softly, placing a hand over his.

  He nodded. “Just don’t get me killed, okay?”

  She smiled and leaned over the center console to him. When she was just a breath away, she whisper
ed, “Promise,” and kissed him softly on the cheek. As she pulled away she brushed her fingers over the damp spot she made on his skin, letting her nails scrape ever so slightly.

  “Come, let us get this over with. I do not wish to waste my entire night here.” Which was a real possibly, what with the way these older vampires tended to act, like spoiled children used to getting their way.

  “Agreed,” he grunted in reply.

  They met at the front of the car, where Ash was already digging in the trunk. Tristan had his one gun on him, his security blanket. It wouldn’t kill a vampire, say, Ash’s age. Not even the younger ones really, but it would slow them down and give him a chance to cut off their head. That was the only real way to kill a vampire. Ash admitted one night while they were sparring that the pain they felt from cuts and such hurt just as much for them as it did for humans, only the vampire’s faster healing and higher endorphins worked to lessen the pain within moments. The point was, they still felt pain. That was an asset.

  In the front storage trunk, a space no bigger than a travel bag, was a small cache of guns and knives. Ash strapped one knife to the inside of her left forearm, not even bothering to hide it under her sleeve. What she really wanted was Murasaki Kaeru, her beloved katana, that was still packed away in the trunk from the plane. She cursed herself for leaving it behind and hoped it wouldn’t get her killed. Perhaps she relied on it too much.

  Tristan added his own knife or two. Figured he could never have enough pointy things at hand. “No gun?” he asked when he noticed Ash was done with just the knives and there was still two guns to be had.

  “I do not wish to insult them.”

  Tristan understood without being told why. The best way to kill a vampire was take their head, but if they were young enough, a bullet to the brain worked too. The older they were, the less the chance of them succumbing. To carry a gun into the home of a vampire of seniority would have been a great insult as a shot to the head would have just pissed them off rather than kill. At least the sword would have been looked at as more ceremonial rather than as a weapon meant to be used.