The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death

[ladydeathfaerie]

Title: The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death 
Chapter Three: Magic, Power And The Call Of The Wild
Fandom: Anita Blake universe
Rating: 18 and up
Warnings: graphic sex and violence, language, anything else i can toss in.
Disclaimer: the recognizable characters and places contained herein are the property of LKH. i'm merely borrowing for the sake of entertainment. no money is being made from this venture. the Sues are the sole property of their originators, Ginevra, Dazzledfirestar, Nanaea, SilverFoxChan and ladydeathfaerie. the concept and title of The Mary Sue Virus are used with permission from Dazzledfirestar. all beta work, plot bunny shooting and ass spanking is being done by Gin.

The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death - Index Link 

The sudden tension the air was tangible. All five women froze when Death and the Master of the City faced one another. In fact, the entire cemetery seemed to go still, holding its breath while it waited to see what would happen between the two. Aedan’s gaze swept the area, taking in the utter stillness that had fallen over all of the vampires there. The wild energy that pulsed from the lycanthropes was almost painful against her skin as they watched, ready for the fight that was sure to break out. Even the ghosts were still, their comforting presence barely detectable against the expectation that clogged the air.

Edward’s eyes were empty, cold and utterly frightening. There was a half smile tilting up his lips that lacked emotion and never touched any other part of his face. Jean Claude’s face was the blank mask he wore when he wanted to hide what he was feeling. Both held a relaxed stance, arms hanging loosely at their sides. They were sizing each other up. "I was going to come talk to you next, Jean Claude," Edward said quietly,

A raven eyebrow lifted at that and amusement seemed to flitter across Jean Claude’s beautiful face. "About what, Edward? What do we have to say to one another?"

"Where were you when she was killed?" Edward asked, his tone pleasant. It was all the more frightening for the complete emptiness on his face.

"I was not with her. If I had been, she would not be dead," Jean Claude replied. There was an accusation in his tone that Edward didn’t miss. The blonde’s mouth tightened fractionally and the vampire smiled at him. Shit. There were humans present. Someone would get hurt if the two of them decided they were going to see who was the biggest, meanest bully in the cemetery. Aedan stepped forward and put herself between the two of them. Minette wasn’t far behind her and the other three inched closer until they were clustered in a small group around the two men. Both sets of blue eyes shifted to look at her.

"Gentlemen, this isn’t the time or the place to have a pissing contest," Aedan said softly, looking from one to the other.

"I’d suggest you move, Miss Kinkade. I’d hate for you to get hurt," Edward said amiably. She turned to glare at him.

"I’m not moving. You’ll have to shoot me. Not that it’ll deter you. But if you do, you’ll kill one of the only two people who can help you find the individuals responsible for Anita’s death," she said softly.

"Individuals?" Jean Claude asked quietly. Aedan’s head turned to face him, sure that Minette would keep an eye on Edward for her. She nodded at the vampire. He looked past her to Edward a moment, then gave his attention back to her. "What individuals?"

"There were at least half a dozen vampires there."

"And maybe just as many lycanthropes," Minette chimed in, her voice filled with conviction.

"There were humans there, too. And Anita stepped out into them alone," Aedan held up a hand to forestall any comments. "Before either of you try to rip our heads off, let me assure you that Detective Storr has already done an admirable job of doing just that. And we both feel like shit. If I could have done anything to help and not get myself or my friend killed, I would have done it. The truth is, Anita told us to stay in the car. She seemed to be expecting it. She also asked us to look after all of you. Her family, she said. We promised her we would."

Jean Claude said nothing, simply studied the two of them some more. He finally nodded his head once and the tension seemed to simply ebb out of him as if it had never been. Edward looked as if he were mulling what she’d said over. It took him what felt like an eternity to come to a conclusion. But he eventually relaxed and the cemetery suddenly sprang to life again. Aedan sighed, her knees going weak. That had been too close for comfort. She turned without thinking and found Minette there. One hand reached for her friend’s, pulling the other woman close to her. It soothed her like nothing else could.

"What we can’t figure out is why no one has died," Minette said softly, her gaze moving to land on Nathaniel.

"Damian…" Jean Claude began. Aedan looked at him.

"Damian is alive. He’s there. He’s….. trapped inside of himself. He wakes when the sun goes down, but he can’t rise. I can…. I hear him screaming," Aedan said softly, clinging tighter to Minette’s hand. Jean Claude looked at her as if he’d never seen her before.

"You are certain about this?" Aedan nodded, said nothing more. The vampire fell silent for a moment or two, then seemed to come to a decision. He gave a brief nod of his head before offering his hand to Aedan. She frowned at him, prompting him to let go a small chuckle and give her a slight smile. "Please, Miss Kinkade. I believe we should speak. I will not bite. Unless this is what you wish me to do?" He made the last a question and something in his voice speared through her.

Aedan shook her head at her foolishness and settled her hand in his. The moment his skin touched hers, a thick jolt of recognition rushed through her and knocked the breath from her. Minette’s hand spasmed around her own and she turned to find a pair of wild green eyes looking back at her. She felt Jean Claude tense at her side, his fingers tightening fractionally on her hand. When she turned back to him, his eyes were wide and there was a look of confusion mingled with sadness on his face. His gaze went to Edward’s. "I believe this is perhaps a conversation you should be involved in, Edward."

The blonde cocked a brow at that. He was silent a long moment, then finally nodded his head and motioned toward the waiting groups of people across the cemetery. "They’re waiting on us. Where do you want to have this talk?"

"We will go to Anita’s house. I wish to check on Damian. And that is where everyone else will be. Come along," he said almost absently. His hand still held Aedan’s, forcing her to follow along behind him. She tried tugging her hand free, but his grasp tightened and she wondered if he was afraid she’d try to run. Where the hell would she go? She was here with the pard and she wasn’t about to leave any of her friends to face everyone without her support. The weight of the gun at her side was a reassuring presence, even if she knew she couldn’t get to it in time. Just the fact that it was there was enough.

They moved in random groups across the cemetery grounds, some talking quietly among themselves while others were silent. There was a long line of cars outside the gates in varying sizes and colors. Several of them were limousines. Jean Claude had let go of Aedan’s hand so that he could curl his long, cool fingers loosely around her elbow. It gave the appearance he was escorting her solicitously. She could feel the hint of strength in them, though, the hidden promise that they would tighten down lying just under the surface. They were standing before one of the limos when Minette finally pulled at Aedan’s hand.

"Minette?" she looked at her friend. The other woman’s free hand motioned toward were Micah stood amidst the pard. He was watching the two of them with an unreadable expression on his face. They could see Zane carefully helping Nathaniel into the vehicle behind them. Aedan turned back to Jean Claude. "I’d really like to ride with my friend. This has been a traumatic experience and we’re both still coming to terms with it."

"I do not believe Micah will object if you ride with me. We will be meeting him at Anita’s house. What difference does it make which car you arrive in?" he questioned lightly. Aedan and Minette glanced at one another briefly before turning to look at Micah. His face was now carefully blank, but he managed a faint smile when their gazes met. He motioned at the long car they stood beside, his head nodding just the slightest to let them know it was okay. Then he turned and slid into the vehicle behind him, the door closing as he settled into the seat.

"I hate to leave him alone," Minette sighed. The driver appeared suddenly to open the rear door, motioning to the back of the limo.

"Micah is with the pard. You are not leaving him alone," Jean Claude assured her. "Please. I promise all I wish to do is speak with you. You have my word that no harm will befall you in my company."

Minette watched the car that held Micah and Nathaniel as it pulled away. She heaved a sigh then and allowed Jean Claude to help her into the limo. He turned to Aedan, offering her his hand. She turned him down with a single gesture to the spot where her gun lay hidden beneath her jacket. He nodded his head in assent, then slipped into the vehicle. She turned to look at Edward. He gave a mocking smile and motioned to the opened door. Aedan rolled her eyes at him and climbed in to sit beside Jean Claude. Edward entered last, settling himself on the bench seat across from them. The door shut with a soft thud, then there was a second one when the driver took his place behind the wheel. The car slid forward gracefully into the darkness.

Jean Claude’s cool power crept along Aedan’s skin like a caressing hand, calling to that part inside of her that had a kinship with the dead. She wanted to slide across the seat, away from him, but to do so would be rude. She also wanted to slide closer and press against him, bask in that cool power that swirled around him. Instead, she let her eyes rest on Edward. He was studying them intently and she was sure she could see the wheels turning, mental calculations crowding his mind. He was still trying to decide if he could get his gun out and kill the vampire before there was time for a reaction.

"I believe shooting me would be a bad idea, Edward. It would upset the ladies, but I think it would upset Miss Kinkade…" he stopped and looked at Aedan with piercing blue eyes. "May I call you Chastity?"

"Please. Call me Aedan," she replied. A small smile tilted the corners of his lips up and he inclined his head.

"Very well, then. Aedan," he corrected himself, then turned back to the man sitting across from them. "I believe shooting me would be very unpleasant for you in front of Aedan. I am afraid she would feel the need to shoot you in return." While Edward only showed a hint of curiosity on his face, Aedan and Minette were both confused by the vampire’s claim.

"Why would you say that?" Aedan asked carefully. Jean Claude turned to eye her again and she felt that same pull she’d felt earlier, when he’d been delivering his eulogy. She actually shifted away from him on the seat. "What the hell?"

"Tell me, Aedan. What do you remember of the night Anita died?" he asked her softly. She heard the leather bench across from them creak and found that Edward had edged forward in his seat. He was watching her intently.

"The fight was over almost before it began. She shot at some of them. Wounded some of them. Might have killed some of them, even. I don’t know. It was too dark to tell. When Minette and I climbed from the car, she was already on her back on the road. She…." Aedan paused to think. The night had become a distant blur in her brain, like a particularly bad nightmare. She could remember it happening, but the clarity of it had dimmed as the days had passed. "She told us she knew she was dying and she asked us to take care of you. Of her family."

"Do you remember anything special or odd about the evening?" he questioned.

"She made us promise," Minette replied from the other side of him. He turned to look at her, but Edward’s gaze was still on Aedan. Without Jean Claude’s attention on her, she slid further away from him on the seat until she was nearly in the corner. "She made us promise to look after all of you. And then she died."

"No," Aedan shook her head. Jean Claude returned his attention to her. She had pulled herself into the corner, arms wrapped around her tightly. If she hadn’t been wearing a skirt, she’d have drawn her knees to her chest. "There’s no way…."

"What is it, Aedan?" Edward’s voice was cool and calm. Another tendril of Jean Claude’s power washed over her and she shivered. "What?"

"There was a moment when… when I saw everything," Minette’s voice was a dry whisper of sound in the silence of the car. "I saw you and the pard. Asher and Damian and Richard and….. Just everything. What did she do?"

"She passed her powers on to you both before she died," Jean Claude said quietly.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Minette demanded. Pinpricks of angry energy crawled across Aedan’s skin as the other woman’s hold on her emotions began to unravel. "There’s no way. How could she have? It isn’t possible! There’s… there’s no way."

"Tell me, Minette," Jean Claude shifted toward the petite woman on his right. Aedan closed her eyes, tuning out the sound of his seductive voice, while the events of that night slammed into her with all the force of a Mack truck. She gasped, arms tight around her chest, and lived through it once again.

"Jean Claude." She barely heard the softly spoken name. When a cool hand cupped her cheek, she shuddered and felt the rush of memories once again. Felt the power or magic or whatever it was pour into her as if it were happening at that very moment. It seemed to take an age for whatever Anita had given her to fill her up, thick and heavy, choking the breath from her. There was the sound of panicked speech somewhere nearby, but she couldn’t make sense of it. All she understood was the energy and power that flowed through her veins. It was as if she were drowning, as if a tidal wave were crashing down over her head.

Panic tore through her. She couldn’t breathe, felt like she was suffocating under the weight of everything that had been thrust upon her. It was all there, every ounce of magic, every last memory. Every victory. Every loss. Every single death. Every face that had come and gone in a life that wasn’t her own. Every joy and sorrow. All of it. It all came to her in a rush, overwhelming her senses. She opened her mouth to scream and no sound came out. She could see darkness crowding the edges of her vision and wondered if she’d die before or after she lost consciousness. And then, as abruptly as it began, it was over.

Air rushed into her lungs and she gasped, eyes opening wide to find herself still in the car, still pressed into the corner of the seat. Her hands were wrapped around Minette’s, the shorter woman kneeling on the floor before her. Jean Claude had moved several inches away and Edward had drawn a gun, though it was pointed downward. Aedan looked around, wild eyed and panicked. "Aedan, its okay. It wasn’t real. It was….. a memory," Minette whispered softly. "You’re safe."

The gun at her side was suddenly in her hands and she didn’t remember drawing it. Even though she was shaking, the gun held steady as she pointed it two handed at the floor. She saw Jean Claude move out of the corner of her eye and the weapon swung around. "Don’t. Touch. Me."

"Aedan," he began, one hand reaching for her. She lifted the gun a fraction of an inch higher.

"Do. Not. Touch. Me!" she hissed. "Just….. stay away from me."

~*~*~*~*~

Rhiannon sat at Richard’s side, grateful she no longer had to support him. His weight had been almost more than she’d been able to handle and the grief that cloaked him was a bitter pill to swallow. They had been among the first to arrive at Anita’s house and had let themselves into the dwelling, Jason providing his own copy of the key. Already, several of the vampires had arrived, including Asher and Requiem. Rafael and a handful of his people were there, too. The last to arrive had been the pard. Watching Zane carry Nathaniel into the house had sent pain twisting through her heart. He’d looked small and helpless as he’d been settled into a chair. Almost immediately, Jason had moved over to sit with him and the two and literally curled around one another. It was more than she thought she could bear.

She heard a car door, followed by voices. One of the voices was low, evenly pitched. One sounded afraid and pleaded softly with a third that sounded nearly irrational. The door opened and Aedan stepped in, gun bare in her hand. Rhiannon saw wild eyes sweep across the room, seeing everything at once and nothing at all. Minette stepped in behind her and laid a hand on Aedan’s arm. She whispered something that Rhiannon couldn’t hear. Aedan shot the shorter woman a look and then hurried off. A moment later, Jean Claude stepped into the house and everything seemed to go still for one heart stopping minute. In the next instant, soft whispers returned and the silence was driven away.

Frowning at the odd behavior she’d just witnessed, Rhiannon leaned into Richard so she could inform him of her actions, then got up and moved over to where Minette stood. The shorter woman looked very lost and confused. The two of them smiled at one another, a painful expression that spoke perfectly of the way they were both feeling. She looked around the room, eyes taking in everything at once. "I really can’t believe that we’re here," she whispered.

"I know," Minette replied. "Its…. weird. So much has happened in the past three days, it isn’t even funny. I’ve slept in a kitty pile every night since I’ve been here. And Aedan…. She’s having a hard time adapting, I think."

"It looks like it. Did she actually have a gun in her hand?"

"She did. She drew it on Jean Claude in the car, too," Minette told her, eyes wide as the memory of the event flashed through them. Rhiannon blinked at her in disbelief. "She did. Something really weird happened back in the car and she freaked out. I think it had to do with him touching her. But I haven’t had a chance to find out yet. She wants us to meet her in the basement soon. So we can talk."

"Is that where she went?" Rhiannon found her gaze wandering back to Richard and Nathaniel. When Minette nodded, she frowned. "They’re why we’re here, aren’t they?"

"I think so. A good portion of it. We haven’t really discovered much, but I’m sure they’re part of whatever reason the Virus has for bringing us all together here," Minette frowned. "Didn’t you say at the cemetery that Marianne sent you?"

"Yes. It’s weird. One minute I was in front of the computer. The next, I was on a plane bound for St. Louis. The only hint I had about where I had ended up was a memory of Marianne telling me that something had happened to Anita and the pack needed me here," Rhiannon shrugged a shoulder. Her gaze focused more solidly on the young shifter wrapped around Jason. "I don’t think they’re the only ones who need me."

"I haven’t heard Nathaniel speak a word since I got here," Minette sighed. "I’m worried about him."

"Richard has to be…." she frowned and shook her head. "I don’t think he’s ever been like this. If he doesn’t snap out of it soon, I’m afraid of what it will do to the pack. I just don’t know how to break through the misery that he’s wrapped around himself. Its so thick and choking. He’s killing not only himself with it, but the pack, too."

"I’m sure you’ll find a way," Minette told her. She heaved another sigh, bringing Rhiannon’s attention to her. "I should see if I can find Aedan. She was so rattled. She wouldn’t let Jean Claude touch her in the car. She wouldn’t even let Edward touch her. I don’t think I can blame her."

"Why? What happened?"

"Without going into all the details, because I don’t want to have to tell it twice, Jean Claude pulled some shit on us on the way over. Neither one of us reacted to it well. I’ll explain it later, I promise. For now…. Maybe a mug of tea or something to relax with. Today has been hell and I’ll be glad when its over."

"That’s a good idea," Rhiannon nodded and fell into step behind Minette. "I think Richard could use one. He’s at least responding to outside stimulus. I can get him to eat and drink. He’s functioning, but just barely. Hmmm. Maybe I can get some into Nathaniel. I hate to see him so lost. This isn’t good for him."

Minette nodded as she led the way to the kitchen. "Its taken half the pard to get him to eat every time we have a meal. They won’t leave him alone. I think they’re afraid of what could happen if they do. He was tied to her so deeply."

"I know. Its a miracle that he didn’t die with her," Rhiannon’s voice was a near whisper, filled with nameless pain and worry. They turned into the kitchen and stopped to find Asher huddled in one corner, Janika’s petite frame beside him. Jean Claude was sitting at one of the tables, eyeing the two of them intently. Asher’s gaze flicked to the door, where Rhiannon and Minette stood, then he gave his attention back to the dark headed vampire.

"This is not the time, nor the place, to discuss this. There are too many people present who should not hear our conversation," Asher said in a low voice. There was an edge of anger to it that Rhiannon couldn’t miss. She risked a glance at Janika and found the woman to be a little nervous. In fact, she looked downright pale and scared as hell.

"This is as good a place as any, Asher. Why have you hidden this from me for so long? Were you afraid that I would be displeased?" Jean Claude asked, his tone light and reasonable. Rhiannon was sure he knew they were there, but he did nothing to acknowledge their presence. He must have been studying Janika intently because she inched closer to Asher’s side. His arm slipped around her shoulder absently, silently offering her his protection. "Or were you afraid that our Anita would not be happy to know that you had found someone to keep you company?"

"It is cruel of you to speak so of the dead," Asher whispered. The pain of her loss was there to read on his face, sharp and fresh and new. One of Janika’s hands reached up to touch his chest. It distracted Asher enough that he looked down and sent her a faint smile. The expression held emotion in it.

"I know you loved her, mon ami. And I know you grieve her loss. I feel the emptiness left by her death sharply. But we cannot allow ourselves to dwell too much on the past. She would want you happy. It is good that you have someone and I think she would be pleased by your choice."

"I do not wish to discuss it, Jean Claude. Can you not respect my wishes?" Asher’s voice was thick with pain.

"I have known about your pomme de sang for some time now," Jean Claude told him quietly. Asher didn’t move, but Rhiannon thought he might have tensed for a brief second. The fair vampire’s gaze drifted down to look at Janika’s face before he gave his attention back to Jean Claude. "Oui. I have known about her for a while. I said nothing out of respect for you. I know you doubted the sincerity of Anita’s love for you. I know that doubt drove you to seek out someone who was not tarnished by my memories. All I ask is that you handle her with care and do not hide her from me any longer. You are as entitled to love as anyone else, mon chardonneret."

"Do not tease me, Jean Claude," Asher’s voice was strained when he spoke, a harsh mixture of hope and disbelief that was painful to hear. Jean Claude smiled at him, then shifted his gaze to the woman standing beside Asher.

"Do you care for him?" he asked Janika. She stared at Jean Claude a moment, then lifted her head to look up into Asher’s face. He stared down at her, eyes filled with fear while he awaited her answer. Janika merely smiled at him and nodded her head.

"I do. I care deeply about him," she replied, never breaking eye contact with Asher. It was apparently all Jean Claude wanted to hear. He stood from the chair in a single, fluid motion.

"That is all I need to know," he smiled at them. "Just be sure to treat him with gentleness. Do not hurt him." Before Janika could respond, Jean Claude glided from the kitchen without a sound. Asher watched him go, then his gaze settled on Minette and Rhiannon.

"I’m sorry. We were going to make some tea. We didn’t mean to intrude," Rhiannon told him softly. She was held pinned by his eyes as they studied her face for several long moments. Then his head nodded and he turned to look at Janika. The two stared for a space of time, then Janika smiled at him. He leaned down to press a brief kiss to her forehead, then left the three of them standing there. "Wow! Asher?"

"I know," Janika smiled, looking for all the world as if she were floating.

"How long has this been going on?" Minette asked, dragging the kettle out of one of the cupboards.

"Um…" Janika’s brow wrinkled as she considered it. "A couple months? Maybe more? The memories are a little fuzzy. All I can remember is a whole bunch of pleasure."

"So have you two been?..." Minette settled the water laden kettle on the stove and turned the burner on. Both women watched Janika intently. A wide grin broke across the redhead’s face, answering the question. Someone drifted into the kitchen to search the refrigerator for something, so they fell into silence. By the time the person left, the kettle was whistling a happy tune. Minette brought down a box of chamomile tea and a few cups. The new few moments were spent brewing five cups of tea. Then Minette and Janika helped Rhiannon carry the cups out.

Rhiannon watched as Minette delivered a cup to Richard, pushing it gently into his large hands. He took it, brown eyes seeking hers out. She offered him a smile. "Thank you," he managed, then brought the cup to his lips. She watched him as he sipped, then nodded.

‘You’re welcome," she replied, then moved away. When Rhiannon was satisfied that he was going to be able to manage on his own for a few, she took the second cup she carried over to the chair where Jason and Nathaniel were holding one another. Jason looked up at Rhiannon, blue eyes large with both grief and concern. They moved to the tea cup, then smiled and helped ease Nathaniel up into a sitting position. Settling her own cup of tea on a table nearby, Rhiannon knelt before the chair and offered the cup she still held to Nathaniel.

"I thought you might like a cup. It’s chamomile. It’ll help settle your stomach and relax you," she told him softly. For a moment, Nathaniel simply lay against Jason limply, his eyes closed and face partially buried in his friend’s shoulder. Then his eyelids fluttered up and he turned those amazing lilac eyes her way. There was so much pain and sorrow on them that Rhiannon felt her heart breaking for him all over again. It took everything in her not to reach out and take him into her arms, hold him close to her body while she rocked him like a child. He looked at her before taking the cup, his hands shaking slightly. Then he lifted the cup to his lips and drank.

The heat of the tea brought color to his cheeks. While he still leaned against Jason almost completely, his drew his head away and held it up. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice that of a child’s instead of a man’s. The sound of it made her want to cry. She swallowed and offered him a faint smile.

"I’m so sorry, Nathaniel. If there’s anything I can do to help…" she trailed off, knowing the words were stupid and pointless. They were words offered up at every funeral, with every death. She meant them all the same. He nodded his head at her, taking another drink of the tea. When she looked at Jason, he was smiling at her, gratitude shining in his eyes. "Don’t hesitate to call me. Jason knows how to reach me."

"Thank you," Nathaniel whispered again. Something jolted through her that she couldn’t explain, leaving her capable of nothing more than nodding her head. "You….. you knew Anita?"

"I did, but not very well. We met through Marianne. She was an amazing woman and I’m so sorry for your loss," she replied quietly.

He nodded, dropping his head back down against Jason’s chest. "I appreciate you coming to the services and…." Nathaniel broke off and swallowed back the tears. Unable to stop herself, Rhiannon lifted a hand and laid it over one of his. She said nothing, merely stared up at him. Then he closed his eyes and settled back against Jason. Her skin was still warm from his touch five minutes later when she and Minette found Janika and dragged her off to the basement to speak with Aedan.

~*~*~*~*~

The house was filled with the wildness of too many lycanthropes in one place, making Isis skittish. She hadn’t been around this many shifters at one time and the experience was almost frightening. She still didn’t understand what had drawn her to Anita Blake’s services. Beyond the other four women, there was no one here she knew. But she’d followed the crowd back to the dead woman’s house in the hopes that she could find something that would explain the compulsion she’d been feeling for the last few days.

It had started shortly after sundown on the night she knew Anita had been killed. She’d been in her apartment, reading a book, when she’d felt a strong pull to be somewhere else. It had been enough that she’d gotten into her car and driven around, but hadn’t found anything that would satisfy the need that had suddenly grown inside of her. When she’d seen the headlines in the paper the next morning about Anita’s murder, there’d been a snap of knowledge inside her head and she’d known that the death was somehow involved in the pull. It was that information that had seen her attending both the daytime and nighttime services. But she still hadn’t found the reason for that odd pull.

That same need to know had seen her following the members of the pard to Anita’s house. And now…. Now, as she stood unobtrusively in one corner, the pull was growing stronger. Whatever her reason for being there was in the house, calling to her. It made her blood sing and flow wildly through her veins. Closing her eyes, she took a moment to tune out everything around her and concentrate on that pull. Whispers ran like laughing children through her mind, teasing her with little bits of information that she couldn’t quite understand. All she could do was follow them and hope that they led her where she needed to go.

The hair on her arms rose. There was a flood of power and then that call again. It was coming from beneath her. Her eyes flew open and she looked around, wondering if anyone else could feel it. The room was as somber as it had been when she’d walked in, hushed whispers and sniffles punctuating the oppressive silence. It didn’t look as if anyone else had heard the call. She had to go see what it was.

Slipping quietly from her place in the corner, she allowed the wordless call to guide her. She found the door to the basement ajar. A waft of power rolled up the stairs toward her. Glancing around, she saw no one watching her, so she slipped through the open doorway and followed the staircase downward.

The basement of the house had been turned into a single, large room. There was comfortable furniture scattered about giving it a homey kind of atmosphere. A few lamps were turned on, casting alternating shadows and mellow light across the room. There was a coffin over in one corner, settled on a pedestal so that it sat at the same height as a normal bed. There was one of those in the room, too.

The coffin was closed, Aedan’s body laying over it. It looked like the woman was crying and the taste of cold, dead power still rode the air. The call was stronger there and she found her eyes locked on the coffin. She moved closer, shivering when she stepped fully into the remnants of the spent magic. When she laid a hand against the coffin, a shaft of recognition and understanding speared through her. "Oh my God," Isis whispered.

"He’s in there. He’s trapped in there," Aedan said, lifting her head. She was staring blindly at the sleek, shining surface as if the answers to the universe were written on it. "I’ve tried to raise him and I can’t. I can’t wake him up."

"Who’s in there?" Isis asked.

"Damian. He’s trapped inside of himself. He can’t rise. Something happened and…. He can’t rise, he can’t die. He’s trapped. I can’t wake him up."

"This I the reason I’m here," Isis told the other woman, her voice filled with certainty. Aedan looked at her, a frown on her face. Isis slid her hand down until her fingers found the seam between the lid and the bottom. Before she could lift the top, a cool hand circled her wrist. She looked up to find herself face to face with Jean Claude. He wore an expression she couldn’t decipher. When he drew her hand away from the coffin, she frowned.

"What are you doing?" he asked softly. She heard the woman beside her suck in a breath and turned to look at her. Aedan’s eyes had gone wide and her hand was slipping beneath the coat she still wore. Jean Claude ignored her, all of his attention focused on Isis.

"He’s calling to me," she replied. Aedan stepped back, moving several feet away from them. Isis watched her, wondering at the reaction. Aedan didn’t stop until she hit a body and hands reached up to stop her from falling over. Isis could see the blonde vampire behind her, face filled with confusion. His hands jerked away from her shoulders as if he’d been burnt. She moved away from him until she stood to the side. Rhiannon, Janika and Minette joined her and she watched the way Aedan clung to Minette.

"What do you mean? How is he calling to you?" Jean Claude asked, looking briefly to where Aedan stood before turning back to her.

"I mean I can feel him in my head. He’s been calling to me for three days. He needs me. I don’t know why or how, but he needs me."

Again, Jean Claude looked at Aedan. She was no longer wide eyed and the two of them stared a moment. Isis thought maybe they were communicating silently. When Jean Claude lifted a brow at her, she shrugged a shoulder. "It would explain why I can’t raise him. I feel like I should be able to. And I can’t. If she can…"

"Jean Claude?" Asher’s voice was harsh. Jean Claude glanced at his second and offered a smile. "What is this?"

"It is a test. And, if it goes as I believe it will, there is much I have to tell you," Jean Claude answered before turning back to Isis. He studied her a moment or two then spoke, his words directed to the small gathering behind him. "Damian may wake wild. He will be hungry. Having your gun in your hand would be advised, Aedan. If he should get past Asher and myself, you will be the last line of defense."

Isis watched as Aedan slipped the gun from its holster, holding it in a loose grip with the muzzle pointed to the floor. She nodded at Jean Claude, even though he wasn’t looking at her. A pale hand grasped the edge of the lid and drew it upward. The call pulsed inside of Isis, the frantic song of a trapped animal. She stared at the vampire in the coffin.

Blood red hair flowed around a perfect, pale face. He was still as death, eyes closed. She laid a hand on his chest, leaned toward him. His eyelids flew open so that she could see pure green eyes, like a cat’s, staring up at her. His lips peeled back in a snarl that exposed his fangs.

An angry cry left his lips and then he was lunging upward for her.