| |
––––––––
EDEN WAS SITTING ON her favorite chair, staring out through her bay window when a letter squirmed beneath her door and zoomed over to hover in front of her. She opened it, then her face lost all color when she read the message. Lord Kreaton was summoning her to his house. She was to go there immediately. “God, no,” she whispered in horror. None of the Immortal Triumvirate had called on her in years. The thought of sharing the master vampire’s bed again repulsed her, yet she couldn’t defy his order.
Tears stung her eyes as the succubus obediently rose. She quickly changed, choosing a black dress that matched the gloom in her heart. She was going to have to hurry to catch a carriage all the way to the Vampire District. Rushing downstairs, she exited through the back door and strode over to the curb. She didn’t bother to walk a few blocks away, she didn’t have enough time for that.
A carriage appeared and the skeleton looked down at her. “Take me to Lord Kreaton’s mansion,” she requested. It clicked its teeth worriedly, probably fearing they wouldn’t make it there before dawn arrived. She climbed in and the vehicle took off even before she was seated. The wheels rattled noisily over the cobbled streets as the walking corpse drove the vehicle at a reckless speed.
Eden was amazed by the driver’s skill as it deftly took corners without overturning the carriage. They sped westward away from the City Square. It headed for a bridge that would take them to the Night Cursed District, since it would give them the most direct route to the Vampire District.
The streets were mostly dark as they careened through the District where the drained beings dwelled. Only the dim light from the lanterns on the carriage lit their way. Eden didn’t see anyone walking along the sidewalks this time. A stone bridge took them to the Vampire District, then they wended their way through the dark, twisting streets to the wealthiest suburb.
Turning its head to the east where the sun was about to make an appearance, the skeleton pulled up in front of Lord Kreaton’s mansion. It slumped over a moment later when the first rays of the sun filtered across the horizon. The creature would remain there until nightfall. Then it would be magically sent back to its graveyard in the Night Cursed District. She wasn’t sure what would happen to the carriage. She’d never walked the streets during the day to see what went on in the city.
It had been several years since Eden had been summoned to the master vampire’s mansion, but nothing had changed. She approached the door and knocked. A servant who was covered in a thick cloak with his face deeply in shadow opened it. He motioned for her to enter while averting his eyes from the wan dawn light. “Lord Kreaton is waiting for you in his bedroom,” he said, then hastily closed the door. He had to be at least a few hundred years old to be able to stay awake past dawn. Most of his kind were forced to rest during daylight hours.
Eden was escorted upstairs with dread making her palms clammy. Her guide led her to Lord Kreaton’s bedroom, then knocked. “Enter,” the lord of the manor said. Steeling herself for the ordeal ahead, the succubus entered. She mentally tried to prepare to undergo more torture at her hated ruler’s hands.
Lord Kreaton was pacing up and down when the assassin entered his bedroom. The minion closed the door and her sick dread increased. She glanced around at the heavy, masculine furniture. The bed was covered in black sheets and a black duvet. Thick black drapes hid the metal shutters that kept the deadly rays of the sun from penetrating the room. Deep, dark brown carpet lay on the floor. Dark blue wallpaper made the room seem cave-like.
“I have a mission for you, Eden,” the master vampire said when he came to a stop in front of her. Eden’s eyes widened slightly at that unexpected news. He went on before she could ask him why he didn’t just send her a letter like usual. “I’ve learned that an old enemy of mine has recently arrived in Nox. Your task is to hunt him down and eradicate him. His name is Sebastian and he’s gone into hiding somewhere.”
“You don’t know where I can find him, my lord?” she asked. She sensed a slight change in her bond with him as the spell that would enable her to identify her next target kicked in.
Lord Kreaton felt it as well. Some of his tension seeped away when he figured she would now be able to track him down eventually. “He is a master vampire with considerable power, so he won’t be easy for you to eradicate,” he advised her.
Eden frowned a little at that information. “You’re sending me to hunt a vampire, my lord? Wouldn’t Sorcha be a better choice?” She didn’t need to remind him that her talents didn’t work on his kind.
“Sorcha won’t be a match for this man,” he said dismissively. “Despite her magical abilities, she’s almost as slow and weak as a human. You’re faster and stronger than she is. You’ll have a better chance at getting close enough to him to kill him.”
“He’s that fast, my lord?” the assassin asked.
His response was to vanish. “He’s that fast, my dear,” he said from right behind her a moment later.
Eden whirled around. She had to suppress the urge to knock his hand away when he stroked her cheek. “It could take you several nights to find Sebastian,” he said. “I’ll ensure you aren’t sent on any other missions by my allies until after you’ve completed your task.” He’d already sent Lord Dallinar and Lord Graham letters advising them that Eden would be busy on a mission while he’d been waiting for her to arrive.
“Yes, my lord,” the succubus said and bowed more to break her contact with his hand than out of subservience. She held in a shudder when he looked her up and down when she straightened up.
“I’d forgotten how beautiful you are,” he mused, then glanced at the heavily covered window. Even he felt fatigued when the sun was up. “When you’ve eradicated your target, I’ll expect to find you in my bed, naked and waiting for me.”
Eden barely managed to keep her face blank as she nodded in agreement. The servant was nowhere to be seen as she left the bedroom and headed downstairs. Exiting from the mansion, she passed the motionless carriage with the comatose skeleton sitting in the bench seat. Her breathing became faster and faster as she forced herself to walk calmly away. When she’d put a few blocks between herself and Lord Kreaton’s mansion, she broke into a sprint.
The succubus ran until a stitch burned in her side. She slowed to a walk and realized she was shuddering uncontrollably. The thought of having the master vampire’s fangs tearing into her as he plunged himself into her body again was unbearable. She was glad the leeches she passed were asleep as she fought to hold in her tears. “I can’t do it,” she whispered in dread. “I can’t stand to let that monster touch me again.”
She’d run almost all the way to the outskirts of the bloodsuckers’ territory. Eden took a bridge to the Fae District rather than cutting through the Night Cursed District again. The sun was blindingly bright reflecting off the snow and she had to squint against it. She walked the rest of the way home, dragging her feet the whole way. Malachi and Sorcha would long be asleep by now as she trudged up the stairs to her apartment. Neither of them had ever suffered through being bedded by the Immortal Triumvirate and she didn’t want to burden them with her pain.
