Page 51 of Touch the Dark (Cassandra Palmer 1)

Tomas’ eyes flickered to me. “She has been promised to me, as part of my reward. She will not be harmed.”

Mircea laughed contemptuously. “Cassandra may become Pythia. Quite a prize, Tomas. Do you really think your master will let you keep her?”

“I have no master!” Tomas shouted, and I felt a bolt of power slam against Mircea’s shields, just above my head. His defenses held, but I didn’t see how. I was dazed from only the near miss, and Rafe was on the floor, screaming.

“Rafe! Mircea, put me down.” He ignored me. I had the impression that he and Tomas had forgotten that anybody else was in the room.

“If Rasputin kills Louis-César in anything but fair combat, your side wins nothing. You know this, Tomas. What are you planning?”

“Rasputin will be fighting Mei Ling, not Louis-César. He will win easily, and the other senates will have to acknowledge his control. The Frenchman dodged our first attempt, when Cassie and I saved the girl, but soon it won’t matter.”

“What?” I had the impression I’d missed something.

Mircea seemed to understand, though. “You slipped earlier, when you said he’d been cursed. But he wasn’t, and you should have known that—you’ve been his servant for a century. I should have caught it then. Before you and Cassie interfered, Louis-César was not made; he was cursed, wasn’t he? By the gypsy family whose daughter died because of him. That is the way it originally happened, is it not?”

It took a second for his words to soak in. “You have got to be kidding,” I told him. He shot me a warning look, and I shut up.

; Tomas apparently didn’t notice. “She was their only daughter. The king ordered her death to make a lasting impression on his half brother, but her family didn’t know that. They blamed the man they thought had seduced her and then had her killed when she ceased to be amusing. Her grandmother was a very powerful woman, and in her grief she cursed him with vampirism.”

Rafe had managed to get back to his feet, although he didn’t look good. He started to speak, but I frantically shook my head at him. The last thing I wanted was to remind Tomas that he was in the room.

Tomas was too caught up in his story to care. “When I realized Cassie had brought us to a time when Louis-César was still human, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to free myself. I thought if the girl was rescued, the curse would not be laid and he would die after a normal, human life span. I blame him for causing much suffering by his interference, but it was largely unwitting. I thought it would not be a tragedy for him to die as all men do, at his appointed time, but I should have been firmer. I do not know what went wrong, how he became vampire after all, but it does not matter.” He looked at me. “You will take me back, Cassie, and this time, I will be more direct. You must help me possess a body so I will have the strength to kill him.”

I stared at him. What the hell did he expect me to say: sure thing, no problem? I was beginning to think he was as crazy as Rasputin.

Before I could figure out what to say, Billy Joe appeared in front of me. “Cassie! They’re in the Senate chamber. If you’re gonna do anything, now would be good.”

“Do what? I need to touch Louis-César to shift. And he’s not here!”

“Well, you better come up with something. The Senate’s wards are goin’ down like some first-year wardsmith crafted ’em, and the glamourie in the outer chamber ain’t gonna fool anybody if they already know where it is. They’ll be here any minute.”

“Why should Cassandra help you?” Mircea asked, sounding as composed as if he and Tomas were having a polite conversation over tea. “What can you offer her that we cannot?”

Tomas glanced at Rafe. “The life of her old friend, for one.” His eyes turned back to me. “I will guarantee Raphael’s safety, Cassie, if you aid us. Otherwise, Tony has requested the right to deal with him personally for acting as Mircea’s informant. You are aware what that will mean?”

“I don’t get it,” I told him honestly. “We lived together for months. If you were going to betray me, why not do it then? Why now?”

“I did not betray you,” Tomas said intently. “Think about it. Mircea almost let you get killed; why do you trust him? Did he keep you safe? Was he there when you were attacked? I saved you; not him! And I was the one who realized that Rasputin could be the answer for both of us.” He looked at me beseechingly. “Don’t you see? Once Louis-César is dead, I can challenge Alejandro again, and this time I will defeat him! As it is, much of my strength has to go into resisting my master’s will; it weakens me too much to do what must be done. But that burden will be lifted by the Frenchman’s death, and I can then save my people. And afterwards, you will never again have to worry about anyone harming you. As Consul, I can do more than merely promise protection. I can deliver!”

“You contacted Rasputin? When?”

“After your first vision, when I knew for certain what you can do. I called Tony and offered to hand you over, but only to Rasputin. He promised to guarantee your life in exchange for my aid. Since his plans coincided with mine, I agreed.”

“Rafe told you I’d go after Jimmy, and you told Tony.” I said it, but I didn’t believe it.

Tomas saw the hurt in my expression, and his softened. “I had to tell him you were going to Dante’s, Cassie. If there was no deal and they found you first, you might have died.”

“I almost died because they knew where I’d be, Tomas! They ambushed us.”

He shook his head. “I was there to ensure your safety. You were in no danger—it was Louis-César they wanted. When he is gone, Mei Ling will not be a problem.”

“Tomas!” I wanted to scream at his obtuseness. How could anyone live half a millennium and be that stupid? “Rasputin doesn’t need me! Don’t you get it? He already has a sybil who does whatever he wants. The only thing he wants me to do is die!”

“Very perceptive, Miss Palmer.” Pritkin entered the room with guns drawn. I had forgotten about him. I guess everyone else had, too. He kept his eyes on Tomas but spoke to me. “It would seem that we are allies—for the moment. I’ll keep him here, but I suggest you hurry. There are ten black knights outside. I have constructed a few surprises they do not have advance warning about, but they will not hold for long. They will be here in a matter of minutes.”

“Our wards will hold!” Rafe said proudly. “The traitor could not give them the secrets of the inner wards; he did not know them.”