CHAPTER 61.

Luc left Ash's townhouse and made his way back downtown to Vamp. It was early yet; no pounding music greeted him down the block and Derek and Willie weren't even at their posts. Luc opened the large faux-gothic door and went in.

People milled about inside, but most were just sitting at the bar. The music hadn't started up yet, so the dance floor was empty, though the lights underneath it were on and cast an eerie blue pall on the surrounding tables and patrons.

Luc took a seat at the bar.

"Whiskey," he said, raising two fingers when the bartender looked his way.

"Nine dollars," the man said, putting the drink in front of him. "You wanna start a tab?"

"No," Luc said, paying the man. Not for nine bucks a pop he didn't. Plus the bartender was a human, so Luc needed to find someone else to pump for information.

He left the cushy bar stool and took his drink to a booth that faced the door. Finally, people started to trickle in, and then the trickle became a stream.

"Willie," Luc shouted when he saw the bouncer appear. Not a moment too soon, he thought. He had almost broken down and bought another nine dollar shot.

"Luc," Willie said when he got closer, "what are you doing here?"

"I couldn't make it the other night, but I thought the Tournament went on for weeks." He looked around at the mostly empty bar. "I guess there's no show tonight?"

Willie shook his head. "No, not for two more days. I guess you haven't heard that someone burned down Council House and killed most everyone inside."

Luc decided to play dumb. "What?"

"Yep," Willie said. "We haven't figured out quite how they did it yet, or who, but Aleksander declared three days of mourning. The Tournament is suspended until then."

"That was nice of him," Luc said, a little surprised.

There was a gleam in Willie's eye. "Not entirely," he said. "Aleksander wants his new warrior to make it to the Tournament's final round. The rumor is that he was injured in the fire and wasn't ready to fight today, so Aleksander put the whole thing on hold."

"Is that right," Luc said dryly. "Lucky break, him not dying in the fire along with all the rest."

Willie grinned. "There's been some talk along those lines, but Aleksander shut it down quick. I'd advise you to keep those thoughts to yourself around here."

"Thanks," Luc said. "So, the fights will be back on in two days then?"

"That's the plan," Willie said. "You thinking of entering or just watching?"

"Definitely just watching," Luc replied.

"That's for the best. You're way too young to tussle with these guys." Willie thought for a moment. "On the other hand," he said speculatively, "getting thrown out of Council House probably saved your life, so maybe lady luck is on your side."

CHAPTER 62.

Two blue stars stared down at Ariana like accusing eyes as she turned onto Ash's street. Her steps slowed under the weight of all the secrets she carried and the fear that lurked dangerously close to the edges of her consciousness. Fear of Ash, fear of Memnon, fear of all vampires, in fact.

She reached into her bag and fingered the knife she had stashed there. Luc didn't know she had taken it, but after they'd argued again about her coming here, she'd just wanted to leave quietly. Its silvery length on the nightstand had caught her eye and she'd pocketed it, figuring Luc could get along without it better than she. She and Ash needed to talk, but she wasn't taking chances. She owed him the truth, not her life.

She paused at the stone staircase outside Ash's townhouse. Instinct told her he was here. She pushed the b.u.t.ton on the intercom, ignoring the other instinct that bid her stop and consider.

"May I help you?" asked a voice she recognized.

"Nancy," Ariana replied, "it's Ariana Chambers. I'd like to see Mr. Samson."

There was a brief pause, and then a buzzing sound as the heavy metal gate clicked open. Ariana continued up the stairs and pulled the gate shut behind her.

When she turned around, the front door had been opened and replaced by an even more impenetrable barrier. Ash.

Emotions ravaged the hard landscape of his face, coming so fast and varied that Ariana was reminded of time lapse photography. Before she could tell for sure what he was feeling, he had wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his broad chest.

"I thought you were dead," he whispered.

She didn't know what to say. "Does this mean you don't still want to kill me?" she asked.

Ash relinquished his hold on her. "Of course not," he said, looking questioningly at her. "How could you think that?"

Ariana's jaw dropped. "You went to an awful lot of trouble to do just that," she pointed out.

"Not really," he said. "I'm not sure I ever really wanted to kill you."

She closed her eyes. "Then you should have left well enough alone," she said. "And you should have left James out of it."

Comprehension flickered in his eyes and he stepped back from the entryway. "I think you'd better come in," he said.

Ariana noticed as she stepped over the threshold that his stony mask had slipped back into place.

"I don't know what Lucas told you," he continued when he had shown her upstairs into his study and closed the door, "but it's not as diabolical as you must think."

Ariana swallowed a biting response and looked around the gleaming, masculine room. She tried to remember how many days had pa.s.sed since she last stood here, kissing him, before she knew how wrong it would all go.

"No?" she queried. "Tell me then," she said, seizing on her last train of thought, "did you know James was alive the last time we were in this room together?"

There was a d.a.m.ning pause, and she sat down on the sofa behind the door and tried to collect her thoughts.

"Yes," he said finally, "but as a new vampire, James couldn't go anywhere near you, for your safety. New vampires are dangerous, Ariana, even if they don't intend to be. Regardless of my involvement, it was essential that he stay away from you and that you believe he was dead."

"And when did your involvement begin?" she wanted to know.

Ash turned from her, but continued talking as he prepared a drink. Ariana noticed he didn't offer her one, and also that his hands seemed to be shaking.

"I did turn James," he admitted, "but only to save his life. Toria had already left him for dead when I found him, purely by chance."

She raised her eyebrows and felt her arm start to ache at the mention of Toria's name. But it was only an ache. For that she had to give Luc credit. As much as she didn't like being bathed in vampire blood, two days later, her arm was completely healed. Well almost completely, but an occasional ache and a little fatigue were a small price to pay to still be among the living.

"It's true," he said, catching her look in a quick glance over his shoulder. "It wasn't until later that I found out James' wife and my-" He stopped and cleared his throat. "And Delilah were one and the same."

"And how did you know that?" she asked, not wanting to leave the subject of James, but indulging her curiosity nonetheless.

Ash came back to lean against his desk and gave the ice cubes in his gla.s.s a quick swirl. "I can see traces of the souls of humans," he said, "enough to recognize people I knew well, even in a different body."

"Not to downplay the whole vampire thing," Ariana mused, "but finding out that we get reincarnated has been the most interesting thing I've learned so far."

Ash gave her a pained smile. "Yes," he said, "it does give one hope."

She studied him for a moment before the question dawned. "What about your soul?" she asked. "You said you can see souls in humans, but what about vampires?"

He frowned. "I don't know," he admitted. "I don't see them, but that doesn't mean they aren't there."

Ariana wondered if that wasn't just wishful thinking.

"No more than you were wishful thinking just a moment ago, sitting there a.s.suming you had a soul," he argued without waiting for her to make her point out loud.

Perhaps. "But you were supposed to be specially chosen by G.o.d when you were Samson," she pointed out. "Do you still think you have a soul?"

He sighed. "You always did know how to turn the knife, Del," he said, running a hand through his hair and taking another long pull on his drink.

Ariana felt a flicker of fear. "If you want to finish what Toria started," she said, "you might as well get it over with."

Ash smiled at her, and her heart did a reluctant flip flop. "Maybe you have a point," he said, seeming to ponder it. "I do still have half a mind to burn your eyes out with a hot poker." His gla.s.s landed on the desk with a plunk, and then he was standing in front of her. "And then strangle you." A wicked glint crept into his eyes as he looked down at her. "After all," he said, "I can always apologize profusely in your next life."

"You'd be wiser to stop looking for me," she said, hoping his smile meant his words were all in jest. "You'll get no apology from me and no forgiveness either." She hoped she hadn't misjudged his anger, but reminded herself that she had come here to tell him the truth. All of it.

"Ariana," Ash began, with no hint of a joke this time, "you can't know how sorry I was about what happened to your sister. I only knew her for a short while, of course, but she was sweet and kind. She was everything I thought I needed. When she sided with her family against me, I was hurt." He put up his hands to forestall her protest. "I know I overreacted."

That was the understatement of the millennia. "I didn't mean about that," she said. "I was talking about what you did to James."

"Ariana," he said, dropping to kneel in front of her, "I told you, I didn't set out to do anything but help James."

She shook her head. "I don't think I'd call making him a soulless murderer a big help, Ash."

His face had grown hard while she spoke.

"And even if it were," she continued, "you should never have left him alone. He was new, you said it yourself, and now he's dead, because you were too busy chasing after me to protect him."

For a long moment, Ash said nothing, but then his arms shot out and he stood, hauling her off the small sofa.

"I'm not perfect, Ariana," he said, "especially not where you're concerned. But if we're going to start throwing stones, you don't look so perfect yourself."

She put her hands on his chest to push herself away, but his grip was like iron.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"You slept with Luc," he replied, his mouth twisting into something that came very close to a pout.

She opened her eyes wide and began to laugh. "Of all my sins," she asked when she had caught her breath, "That's the worst you could come up with?"

His gaze darkened. "No," he said, removing his hands from her arms and unb.u.t.toning his shirt.

When she would have stepped away, he pulled her back, forcing her to touch the now bare skin of his chest. It was cool under her fingers. Cool and hard and smooth.

"I'm not sure how," he said, "but it seems you turned me into this." He bared his fangs and glared down at her. "If we're casting blame," he growled, "why don't you tell me how you thought I deserved this?"

CHAPTER 63.

Ariana's eyes widened in surprise. "It was an accident," she said. "I swear I never planned to turn you into a vampire. I didn't even know it was possible."

"Oh, so you only wanted to kill me and just happened to feed me a little demon blood?" Ash's voice was hard, but his fangs retracted.

She looked at him, and in that instant, it was so clear he wasn't human, she wondered how she'd ever thought otherwise. "I was desperate," she explained. "You had taken everything from me, yet no one would hold you accountable. I asked Lilith to bring you to Sorek, so I could see justice done myself."

His jaw hardened. "I never knew you at all, did I?" he asked. "All that hate you bore me and I never suspected." His eyes bored into her.

She noticed her fingers were nervously working themselves against the skin of his bare chest, but she couldn't seem to stop them. They moved to reacquainting themselves with the strange, familiar territory. She sucked in her breath, and his dark eyes began to glitter.

"Did you really feel nothing for me?" he whispered, his voice again the low rumble that threatened to liquefy her insides. "Not in all the time we were together?"

"Ash," she said, hesitating and bringing her hands up to caress the sharp planes of his face, "I don't know what to tell you."

"Just tell me that you don't hate me."

The naked need in that simple request almost did Ariana in. She wasn't ready for this man, for what they could be together. "How is it that you can read random thoughts," she asked, lighthearted, "but you can't tell whether I hate you or not?"

"It's complicated," he said. "I've never been good at emotions, especially with people I know. It's too hard to tell which are theirs and which are mine."

"Oh." She paused to think for a minute. "No," she said finally, after waiting longer than was truly necessary. "I don't hate you, Ash."

His look begged for more rea.s.surance.

"I remember hating you," she said. "I remember hating a man I didn't know very well. The memory is there, but the actual hate seems to have burned away. And you've changed." She paused, struck by the obvious. "Heck, Ash," she said, "you're not even a man anymore."