Harlequin Nocturne May 2016 Box Set Page 5

  “In Vikos.”

  The serfs there had spoken of it, he meant. But whom had Daniel seen? There were other Elders who had chosen not to join the Nine in their quest, but they had seemingly vanished.

  “Nine of you,” he said, before she could speak again. “All Elders. Who better to enforce the peace? Who better to rule than Opiri wiser and more experienced than nearly all others of their kind?”

  “No!” she said, rising quickly. “Yes, we founded this city. But an elected Council of humans and Opiri makes the law and enforces it through the Darketan and dhampir Lawkeepers. The Nine only observe and occasionally advise.”

  “And they don’t use their power of influence on the people of Tanis.”

  Carefully considering how to answer, Isis hesitated. “We...agreed that every citizen of Tanis should be free in every way.”

  “Ishtar agreed to this, as well?”

  “I am sorry,” she said, clinging to her dignity. “It was wrong of me to call upon her.”

  “I accept your apology,” Daniel said, though his expression remained forbidding. “I’d like to meet these other Elders. Unless, of course, they’re too busy to see a simple human visitor.”

  “It can be arranged,” Isis said. “But there are other matters to attend to first.” She lifted her chin. “I will ask for your promise,” she said. “Your oath that you will never do anything to harm Tanis.”

  * * *

  Harm Tanis. It was a strange request. Daniel knew all too well that Isis feared some kind of enemy from among humans or other Opiri outside the city, but hurting Tanis was entirely beyond his capability, even if he’d wanted to do it.

  The only humans or Opiri who would face opposition from him were those who prevented him from carrying out his mission. His goals hadn’t changed; he needed to gather general intelligence about Tanis and find out if Ares had passed through this city.

  Isis’s description of the Nine had intrigued him, especially as it related to Ares. Ares was, like them, an Elder. If he had carried through with his mission here, it shouldn’t take long to find out what had become of him. Not when Isis had been so free with her information. Not when he seemed to have as much influence on her as she’d ever had over him.

  Something had happened between them...something he hadn’t expected or wanted. He still didn’t understand why she had been so quick to offer herself to a stranger.

  He glanced at Isis, who waited patiently for his answer. Oh, he knew what she claimed to want: to assure Daniel that she couldn’t or wouldn’t try to influence him. She had also claimed to desire him. A Bloodmistress, one of the Elders, wanting a former serf she knew almost nothing about.

  That was the part he still had the most difficulty understanding. And yet, whatever her original intentions, she’d responded to him like a woman in the throes of passion, hungry to be touched, to be lost in sensual pleasure. That wasn’t something that could easily be faked.

  But she’d also told him that he couldn’t abide losing control, that it was his way of rebelling against his old life. She thought she knew him.

  That wasn’t why he’d rejected her at the end. It wasn’t because she’d implied that humans required her “guidance” and that she had to remain somehow untouchable in the eyes of the city, like some kind of sacred virgin.

  He’d stopped because he had felt too much. For her, yes...as nonsensical as that might be.

  But he’d also remembered: the human women who had been brought to him in Erebus...and the threats that had followed—threats to kill the women if he refused, threats of ugly punishments that would befall them if they failed to perform as breeding stock.

  There had been Opiri women, as well. Palemon had lent him out to service them. He had been a useful object, like all his fellow serfs in Palemon’s Household.

  Leaving that Household hadn’t erased what had been done. Neither had Daniel’s escape from Erebus, or the years of freedom afterward.

  Just as he hadn’t appeared to have aged in those intervening years, the memories had remained as fresh as the blood in his veins. In spite of what he’d told Isis, he could still hate.

  But didn’t hate her, even though she’d thrown Ishtar at him. He’d been cruel to Isis because of his own experiences, his own suspicions, but he hadn’t thought such cruelty was in his nature. Ruthlessness, yes, when it came to protecting those close to him or under his care. But hurting his only ally would not only be foolish, but unnecessary.

  For now, he needed her, in spite of the risks. And as long as he had a job to do, he wouldn’t let the memories get in his way again.

  “I promise you that I have no ill intentions toward Tanis,” he said.

  Isis relaxed a little, as if she’d genuinely feared he might refuse to give his word. “I am glad,” she said.

  “I apologize for my discourteous behavior,” he said, holding her gaze.

  Her lips parted. “I, too, apologize for any distress I may have caused you. Perhaps we can simply begin anew.”

  They gazed at each other until Isis looked away. “I can either arrange for you to stay here like most new immigrants,” she said, “or find a vacant apartment for you near the plaza. The lodgings will still be plain, but luxury is not a priority in Tanis.”

  “I never expected luxury,” he said. “I only objected to the lock on the door.”

  Isis flushed again. “After you have rested sufficiently and feel ready, you will be eligible for a tour of the city. We have guides whose particular work is to show newcomers around Tanis.”

  “I thought that was your chosen work,” he said. “Pretending to be human so that newcomers wouldn’t feel uneasy. Or is your real job to look for immigrants who might pose a threat to Tanis?”

  “It is not,” she said. “This particular area of the city—the administrative ward, the plaza and the living quarters in the area—are my responsibility.”

  “Your responsibility?”

  “I’m responsible for the welfare of my people.”

  “You’re only concerned for the people in this area.”

  “No, but I represent them for the Nine.”

  “Humans, from what I saw in the plaza.”

  “There are some Opiri,” she said, her voice a little defensive. “They work in the offices.”

  “And other areas of Tanis?” Daniel asked. “The former Opir quarters in the lower Citadel? The towers? Who’s responsible for those?”

  She hesitated, sweeping her fall of black hair away from her face. “You asked about the other Elders,” she said slowly. “When we took Tartaros from the original Bloodlords and Bloodladies and freed the serfs, we divided the city into nine wards, one for each of us. There are three Opir wards covering the towers, one for the half-bloods and the remainder in the human sector.”

  “Three Opir wards covering the towers,” Daniel said. “The human sector. A city divided.”

  “Some Opiri do live among humans.”

  “But there are no humans living in the towers.”

  Isis shifted uncomfortably. “You have just entered Tanis. You have no right to judge us yet.”

  “I can only judge by what you tell me. And you’ve been honest, Isis. Even when what you say doesn’t reflect well on this city.”

  Isis glanced away. “If you have such grave doubts,” she said, “why not leave Tanis now?”

  “I’m permitted to leave?”

  “I can see to it that you are free to do so.” She sighed, and her face took on an expression of gentle forbearance and oddly impersonal warmth. “I do understand, despite what I may have said or implied.”

  “Then you will be my guide.” When she didn’t answer, he moved closer to her...close enough to touch. “You’re afraid of me, Isis. You don’t have to be.”

  “Why should I fear
you?”

  “You’re afraid you might want me again.”

  “Because you are so irresistible?”

  He laughed, concealing his bitterness. She swept away from him and strode toward the door.

  “Someone will take you to your new quarters soon,” she said. “You will remain in the Immigrant Center for now, but there will be no locks.” She paused in the doorway. “Exploring without a guide is highly discouraged. I will send one later this morning.”

  Daniel stood alone in the room for some time after she was gone. He didn’t like himself for poking and prodding at Isis, but at least now he was certain that there were others like her and Ishtar in Tanis. After centuries of living among ordinary Opiri, Ares would have met nine of his own kind.

  Would he have been tempted to make a new life here, with Trinity?

  No, Daniel thought, not without sending word back to Avalon. And to him.

  Daniel spent the wee hours of the morning in his new quarters, sleeping in fits and starts, haunted by ugly dreams he couldn’t remember after the sun rose over Tanis.

  But he remembered Isis. She was the first thing he thought of when he opened his eyes. He bathed and dressed, considering how he could get her to agree to show him the city in spite of last night’s firm rejection.

  Of course, it would be easier with some other guide, someone who wouldn’t simultaneously attract him and remind him of the shame of his past. Easier, but not nearly as useful.

  If he were more careful, more respectful of Isis—if he kept his physical and emotional distance—he might persuade her to show him more than the average guide might be permitted to do.

  Because he already felt that there was something not quite right in this city. It was only gut instinct, but he had learned to trust that instinct long ago.

  Isis mustn’t know about his doubts, of course. All he had to do was pretend to believe what she did, and she would give him all the help he wanted.

  CHAPTER 5

  It was not Isis’s intention to go back to Daniel. Like all Opiri, she didn’t require sleep, so she had tried to distract herself with books and music and a long stroll through the gardens until dawn brought the realization that she couldn’t simply walk away from him.

  There were still too many things she didn’t understand about him, and she so badly wanted to understand. He had an effect on her that she had never experienced before.

  And too much remained unresolved: he had accused her of fearing him because she thought she might want him again. It was a ridiculous notion, and yet part of her was afraid. She had gone too far with him, and there was no undoing what had occurred between them.

  Still, she could not allow herself to fear anything or anyone in Tanis, not if she was to play her part in the future she envisioned. Surely there could be no question of seduction now. Not on her part. And Daniel would have no reason to touch her again.

  Daniel had been correct: she had made herself responsible for him, and she could not fulfill her promise if she put him into the hands of another.

  So she dressed in a very simple white gown, casually adorned with a gold sash and a beaded pectoral necklace a human craftsman had made for her. She put on plain sandals and pulled her hair back, just as she would wear it on any occasion when there was work to be done. The unembroidered day coat, with its protective cowl, was the finishing touch.

  Instead of summoning a private cab, she caught a shuttle with humans and Opiri on their way to jobs in the administrative offices. It was a pity that Daniel couldn’t see her then, among the people like any average citizen.

  You have nothing to prove, she reminded herself. And nothing to regret.

  When she reached the Immigrant Center, Daniel was pacing in the lobby, each movement imbued with a powerful grace, muscles sliding easily against each other in perfect harmony. He looked up as soon as she entered, and she saw as well as felt the change in him: his blue eyes lit as if a fire burned behind them, and there was a subtle shift in his body, as if he were shedding an invisible weight.

  Isis felt her own body respond in spite of all her determination to hold herself aloof, warmth gathering between her thighs and her heart beating more quickly. She smiled at Daniel with the most neutral expression she could manage and approached him as cautiously as she might a lion in the wilderness.

  “You changed your mind,” Daniel said, his voice warmer than she’d ever heard it.

  “Yes. I realized that I was being unreasonable in refusing to guide you.”

  “I’m glad,” Daniel said, bowing his head. The simple act confused and angered Isis, as if he were mocking her with his show of respect.

  But he wasn’t mocking her. The cynicism she had expected seemed to have vanished, along with the hardness in his face and eyes.

  Why the change? she thought. But she knew she should accept his manner as a gift instead of questioning it. Now she could enjoy showing him the city. If he could come to believe in it as she did...

  He might stay.

  She shook away the thought and smiled again. “Are you ready to begin your tour?” she asked.

  “I look forward to it.”

  “Then let us begin. We will walk much of the time, but there are areas where we will need other transportation.”

  Daniel nodded, and she turned for the door.

  They began in the main plaza. The sun shone in open sky above, and Isis was careful to keep her cowl over her head when they were exposed to the daylight.

  She showed Daniel the multistory apartment buildings the citizens had built after Tanis had been established on Tartaros’s foundations. Very few Opiri lived in the apartments, but the humans there acknowledged her and Daniel with smiles and words of greeting. She was relieved that none of them actually bowed or showed her any particular deference, and astonished that she should be thinking about it at all.

  Daniel’s accusations had made her aware of things she had simply taken for granted.

  She pointed out the Council chambers and the Hall of Justice, built in the Greek style with wide stairs and columned porch, and showed him the other government buildings, some adapted from the old, pre-Tanis days, others more recently constructed.

  “Your Council is made up of Opiri, humans and half-bloods?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said. “They also serve as judges on those rare occasions when a citizen breaks the law beyond the scope of the Lawkeepers and must be evaluated.”

  “No juries?” Daniel asked.

  “Witnesses are called during the hearings,” she said. “All testimony is accepted.”

  “But the Council makes the final decision.”

  “An elected Council,” she said quickly. “All citizens have their vote.”

  As they left the vicinity of the Hall, they passed a number of Lawkeeper patrols as well as a few guards who served in other capacities, and Daniel noted that none of them appeared to be human. Isis was compelled to admit that guards and Lawkeepers were by custom either half-bloods or Opiri. Daniel’s terse nod forced her to realize that the lack of humans in law enforcement would seem strange, even problematic to an outsider.

  She had never even thought about it.

  “That building, there,” Daniel said, indicating the featureless walls of a two-story structure at the far edge of the plaza. “What is that?”

  Isis felt a strange reluctance to answer. “The blood depository,” she said. “It is where humans go to—”

  “Contribute blood.” Daniel’s expression was neutral, but she felt the tension in him nonetheless.

  “As I said before, no human is forced to do it,” she said.

  “But this city would collapse if the human population refused.”

  “They know that as well as you do,” Isis said, her words sharp with annoyance.


  “They’d be compelled to donate in short order,” Daniel said, still staring at the building.

  “That is why Tanis is built upon cooperation and sacrifice. Our citizens do not allow themselves to surrender to their instincts, no matter how powerful they may be.”

  “That is reassuring.”

  But his doubt was apparent, in spite of his attempts to hide it.

  Isis was relieved when they caught a private shuttle that took them away from the clusters of multistory buildings and deep into the human sector, where older, lower buildings had once housed the Citadel’s many Freebloods, former Opiri vassals who had yet to establish a Household or claim a serf.

  “And now Freebloods live in the towers with the ranked Opiri?” he asked.

  “Most do,” she said reluctantly. “Though many chose to leave and seek their fortunes elsewhere when Tanis was established.”

  “Rogues,” Daniel said. “No Citadel would take in Freebloods from another Citadel, and the only way they can live outside is by running in packs and ambushing free humans or raiding colonies.”

  Isis knew she shouldn’t be surprised by his knowledge of Freebloods. He would have seen many in Vikos. But if he knew about the packs...

  “Were you assaulted on your journey to Tanis?” she asked, trying to imagine Daniel fighting off a dozen rogues and escaping with his blood and his life.

  “I was able to avoid most of them. But I saw them. I saw what they could do.”

  “You said that you received help from humans hiding in the wilderness,” Isis said. “We know that there are a few colonies in this area and in the mountains to the west, small human settlements that move frequently if they feel threatened.”

  “I stayed in one for a time. It was under nearly constant attack. People died.”

  “I am sorry,” she said, meaning it. “We are also aware of colonies built upon the same principles Tanis follows, where both Opiri and human citizens are welcome.”

  “Colonies, not cities,” Daniel said. “Before I was sent to Vikos, I heard of them. But it was said that they were no safer than the human settlements outside the Enclaves. Even if they managed to maintain their principles of coexistence, it wouldn’t mean much if they couldn’t defend themselves from the Citadels and rogue raiders.”