Out of the Shadows 028
A 5-star machine-augmented MIDNIGHT'S WAR novel
The ancient vampire moved to his desk, pressing a concealed button.
“You need to relax. You need time to wrap your mind around your new reality.” The study doors opened, and to Elliott’s surprise, Chiara entered carrying a tray with wine and glasses. His tour guide from Rome was wearing a simple but elegant red dress that made her look as if she’d stepped out of a Fellini film.
“I believe you two have already met,” Medici said. “Miss del Giorgio has graciously agreed to continue as your guide. She’ll be staying here at the Citadel for the next few days, helping you acclimate to our world.”
Chiara smiled at Elliott, and despite his anger and frustration, he felt something in him unwind slightly. “Buona sera, Elliott. I heard you’ve had quite the evening.”
“That’s one way to put it,” he said, managing a wry smile as he pushed himself to his feet.
“I’ll leave you two to get reacquainted,” Medici said, moving toward the door. “Miss del Giorgio knows her way around the Citadel. She will show you to your quarters when you’re ready. We’ll speak more tomorrow about your company’s transition and the new security measures we’ll be implementing.”
“Lord Medici,” Elliott called out, making the vampire pause. “What would you have done? If the attack had succeeded?”
Medici’s smile was terrible in its arrogance. “Rome wasn’t built in a day, Mr. Grahame. But Carthage was burned in three.” He departed, leaving Elliott to contemplate the historical reference.
“Wine, Mr. Grahame?” Chiara offered, already pouring. “It’s from Lorenzo’s private collection. Pre-phylloxera Château d’Yquem.”
“Call me Elliott, please,” Elliott requested as he accepted the glass. He found it hard to take his eyes off her. She’d been striking enough in Rome, but in the red gown, she was simply exquisite.
“You have risen far in the time since we had lunch in the piazza, Elliott.” She clinked her glass against his. “I don’t know if you understand that as one of the masters now, you are free to do as you see fit with those of us who serve the Medici family.”
“I can assure you, I’m not interested in forcing you to serve me in any way, Chiara.” He snorted. “Elliott de Medici doesn’t sound right.”
She laughed, and it was the same charming sound he remembered from Rome. “You needn’t worry about me. I volunteered for this assignment.”
“Why?”
She was quiet for a moment, studying the wine in her glass. “Because I liked you. When we met in Roma, I mean. Most of the wealthy foreigners I take on tours are either arrogant or oblivious. Often both. But you were there, with me, in the moment. It’s a quality seldom found among the wealthy and talented.”
“And now? Now that I’m one of the monsters?”
Her dark eyes found his. “Are you? A monster?”
“I don’t know what I am anymore.” The admission came out rawer than he’d intended. “Three months ago I was a corporate CEO whose primary concerns were valuations and finding investors. Now I’m sitting in an underground fortress I never imagined could possibly exist, marked for death by an immortal Russian who was probably friends with Ivan the Terrible.”
“Andrei isn’t that old,” Chiara said with a slight smile. “He’s only about three hundred. And he certainly wouldn’t ever have been friends with Ivan, he’s of entirely the wrong social class.”
“You know him?”
“I know a little about him. The vampires in Italy are terrible gossips. Most of them don’t have anything else to do. My impression is that Andrei fancies himself a bit of a rebel. He has a reputation for testing boundaries and pushing limits. I suspect he sees you as something of a threat as well as an opportunity.”
“How am I a threat? I’m an infant in vampire terms.”
“But you’re also brilliant,” Chiara pointed out. “Your research threatens to expose vampire biology. Your company could revolutionize human life extension in ways that makes their own existence either obsolete or all-too-obvious. And you’re now aligned with one of the most powerful vampire lords in history. All that makes you a definite object of concern for someone like Andrei.”
Elliott drained his wine and let Chiara refill it. “So what do I do? Try to convince him to like me?”
“You learn,” she said simply. “You grow stronger. You focus on doing what your master tells you to do. And gradually, you will come to understand the currents of power that ebb and flow through our world. Most of all, you trust that Lorenzo de Medici didn’t survive six centuries by permitting challenges to his authority go unanswered.”
“You have a lot of faith in him.”
“I know what happens to those who cross him.”
Her expression darkened momentarily. “My father told me about a vampire in Lucca, about fifty years ago. He thought he could muscle in on Medici territory, started turning his favorites without permission, neglecting to discipline them, and generally creating chaos throughout the city. Lorenzo was patient, he didn’t react right away despite everyone else’s outrage. He just waited for the right moment.”
“And?”
“One night, the usurper and his entire bloodline simply vanished. Thirteen vampires, all gone without a trace. All that was left of them was a small black card in each of their homes with the Medici coat of arms.”
Out of the Shadows is available in Kindle, KU, audibook, and hardcover editions.