Natalie turned to LaCroix. “How would having Janette’s
fledglings with us help control Nick?” Her curiosity
was piqued.

“The ties between a master and fledgling are the
strongest known among vampires. Just as I can control
Nicholas to a degree, and he in turn can impose his
will upon Janette if he so chooses, any others of our
direct lineage can help impose a measure of control
because of our shared blood. If Janette’s fledglings
are with us, they can help bolster her strength
against Nicholas. Perhaps enough so that SHE can
control him. If her fledglings get here soon enough, I
can share blood with them and reinforce the familial
blood links. As I’m sure you are aware, the older a
vampire is, the stronger their power. As I am one of
the oldest, I can magnify and help amplify the power
of my children and grandchildren. I believe Landon,
her fledgling in Seattle, was created about one
hundred years ago. If that is the case, he is close to
me, as she was MY child when Landon was created. Hmmm.
This could be very interesting.”

“How so?”

“No vampire has ever become mortal, then been brought
back across. Janette has a different master now. Her
situation is unique among all vampire lore. I have
not asked her how her ties to her older fledglings
were affected by her recent transformations. I don’t
know if she even retained or reestablished her links
with them after she was brought back across.”

Natalie pondered all this information about vampires.
Nick was always guarded with what information he
passed on to her when they had been working on a cure
for him, and although she had known some of the
information about a master and fledgling, she had
learned more in the last five minutes about vampire
“family” relationships than in her six years working
with Nick on his vampirism.

Janette returned. “Landon will be here in two hours,
and he will bring his daughter Jillian with him. He is
going to try and see if he can get any of the Elders
from Seattle to join him. I have called a conclave at
the club in three hours to see how many local
community members we can get together. Both Arthur and
Cecile will meet me there.” She tilted her head at
LaCroix. “Lucien, do you want to join our gathering?
Should Natalie come as well?”

LaCroix weighed their options. “Yes, I will come. And
I believe that Natalie should join us. The edict from
the Tribunal has made the rounds in the last few
years, so there should be no problems. Nicholas’ mark
on her will be apparent to all who meet her, and you
said you have already claimed her as under your
protection. I shall add my support to that
proclamation, and let all know that she and her
daughter are part of OUR family.” He smiled grimly. “I
doubt anyone will be willing to incur MY wrath.”

Natalie listened to the interplay between the two
vampires, and realized that the vampire subculture
spanned the globe and existed within all mortal
civilizations. It was truly amazing to realize the
existence and organization of it. She glanced at her
watch, shocked to see that it was only just after
midnight. She felt as if it should be much later. The
meeting at Janette’s club was slated for around 3 AM.
Still the middle of the vampire’s “day”, but after
most bars closed their doors for the night.

She was tired. Not only physically, but emotionally
and mentally as well. The last few days had been so
draining. And the knowledge that she would probably
soon see Nick and that it could be the end of her life
warred with worry over Nikki. She was walking a fine
line, and it was taking its toll on her energy. She
sat down on the sofa and cupped her head in her hand,
feeling weary beyond belief. Eventually she drifted
off to sleep while the two vampires discussed their
strategy for combining the strengths of the various
community members from Portland and Seattle, and
reviewing practical and theoretical ways to control
Nick if he and Natalie were put in a position that
would unleash his bloodlust.

Suddenly Natalie jolted awake. Janette was leaning
over her. “It is time. Do you have the energy for
this? It has been long since you were among the
immortals of the night.”

Natalie smiled and nodded. “Yes, I’m coming. I need to
know what we are going to do. “ She glanced around
Janette to LaCroix slyly. “I’m not as much of a
control freak as some people, but I do like to know
what is going on.” She held her breath to see what his
reaction would be.

He stared at her intently for two seconds, then became
very interested in his shoulder, dusting an imaginary
piece of lint of his immaculate black suit. He ignored
her jibe and she chuckled, and Janette also smiled.

She stood up, stretched, and they headed to the door.
Natalie grabbed her coat and purse as they went out to
her car. She handed the keys to Janette without a word
and got in the back seat. Her subtly passive behavior
was not lost on the vampires. As the local Elder,
Janette had precedence in the city, and LaCroix’s
position as an Ancient and of her bloodline was a
subtle reinforcement of her importance in the vampiric
hierarchy.

As they drove in silence toward downtown Portland,
Natalie reached out along her link with Nikki. She was
asleep. Tentatively, she also reached along her link
to Nick and was shocked to feel the reverberation of
his consciousness along it. She sent a very small
pulse of love along it, and was instantly rewarded
with a flash of love returned followed quickly by a
surge of what could only be described as
possessiveness. She quickly shut down the link and set
a mental block up. She started worrying that perhaps
she had aggravated the situation. But the thought of
seeing Nick, even if it meant the end of her life, was
a bittersweet ache.

She had lived the last seven years missing him so
much. His friendship, support, and love. She had gone
on a few dates, but it was pointless when her heart
belonged to Nick and she knew it always would. So many
times she had thought about picking up the phone to
call the number he had given her, just to hear his
voice and know that he was dealing with their
separation, regaining control of the vampire, hoping
that somehow there would be a way for them to be
together. The feeling she had just gotten from him
seemed to indicate that he was still trying to control
the vampire, and that knowledge saddened her.

The car stopped and lurched her out of her thoughts.
She looked around and saw that they were in Chinatown,
just off of Burnside. She had been here several times,
but never at night, and never on the small side street
where the car was now parked. Janette and LaCroix were
opening their doors, and Natalie scrambled out of her
seat. The cool, moisture-laden air felt clammy even
through her clothing. She pulled her coat tighter
around her and shivered. The damp air didn’t affect
the vampires, of course, but she was getting chilled.
She glanced at her watch and saw that it was 2:15.

They walked around the corner and stopped in front of
a doorway in an old brick-façade building. An elegant
wooden door with a brass handle and a stained-glass
window with a red rose, a single drop of red blood
below it, proclaimed the establishment as the Elysium
in elegant amethyst colored glass. Janette opened the
door and gestured for Natalie to follow her, with
LaCroix bringing up the rear.

As they entered, Natalie’s hair began standing on end.
There was an energy in the club that was subtle but
very powerful. She realized that it was the resonance
of vampires. Many of them. They walked down a
dark-paneled hallway and into a large, long room. The
two-storied ceiling rose above them, painted a dark
maroon. To their left was a long room with a stage at
the far end, and a DJ booth in one corner. There was
currently no music. Looking back, she saw that along
the last quarter of the room was a long bar,
reminiscent of the Raven. It was made of carved, dark
wood and there was a long mirror backing it, showing
off the many bottles of alcohol lining the glass
shelves. Glasses hung from a suspended rack,
reminiscent of the Raven. She looked at the bartender,
and felt a flash of familiarity, and the name “Alma”
popped into her mind. There were booths against the
far wall, and as they passed through the long
passageway toward the bar, she turned and saw that
there were tables on the other side of the wall of the
corridor they had just come through. There seemed to
be at least fifty people in the club.

Janette steered them through the archway leading onto
the dance floor. They headed toward the first booth on
the left. As Natalie and LaCroix sat down, Janette
left to get drinks for all of them. When she
returned, drinks in hand, she was towed by four other
vampires. Natalie’s brow wrinkled. As the other
vampires approached, she could detect distinct
emanations from them. LaCroix was looking at her.

“You can sense them. They are family.” His softly
spoken comment sank in and made sense to her.

Janette approached the table and set down the drinks
for Natalie and LaCroix. Natalie picked up the white
wine and took a sip, hoping to calm her nerves a bit.
Janette turned around and pulled forward an exquisite
petite redheaded woman. Natalie knew that her skin had
been pale even as a mortal. Her large green eyes were
opened in surprise as Janette introduced her to
LaCroix.

“LaCroix, this is Jillian, Landon’s latest fledgling.
Jillian, this is LaCroix. I know you’ve heard quite a
bit about him.” A smile tugged at the corner of
Janette’s mouth.

LaCroix reached forward and pulled Jillian’s hand to
his lips. “Enchanté, my dear.”

Jillian was trembling as the master vampire kissed her
hand, and she seemed overcome as he dropped her hand
and chuckled. Finally, she shook her head and looked
at the floor, embarrassed by her display of awe. A
vampire of medium height, with brown hair and eyes,
stepped forward and extended his hand to LaCroix.

“It’s been a long time, Lucien. It is good to see
you.” His eyes sparkled with mirth and Natalie felt an
instant liking for the vampire.

LaCroix took his hand, and smiled. “Hello Landon. Yes,
it is good to see you. How long has it been…sixty,
sixty-five years?”

Landon laughed. “More like eighty.” After LaCroix
dropped his hand, he stepped back and Janette came
forward again, her arms looped around the shoulders of
a tall blond man and a willowy brunette woman with
flashing dark eyes. She pulled them forward.

“And these are the latest additions to the family,
LaCroix. This is Arthur and Cecile. Arthur, Cecile,
this is Nicholas’ creator, LaCroix. You’ve heard me
speak of him.”

Arthur extended his hand and bent his head. LaCroix
chuckled and took it, shaking it.

He dropped Arthur’s hand and turned to Cecile. Her
body language radiated challenge and defiance. She
didn’t extend her hand, and LaCroix’s smile grew
larger. He slid out of the booth, and stood before
her. He reached down to take her hand in his, and as
he did so, he dropped his shields just enough to let
her experience some of his ancient power. She gasped
and dropped her eyes in submittal.

“Well, I see that Janette has brought another spirited
woman to the family. How refreshing.” He sat back
down, then nodded once at Janette. She slid into the
booth next to Natalie and gestured for the family to
gather chairs or join them in the booth. Landon slid
in next to LaCroix, leaving the younger vampires to
find chairs from nearby tables.

When everyone was seated, Janette began to speak. “All
of you know the story of my relationship and past with
LaCroix and Nicholas. Landon, I’m sure you heard the
edict from the Council about the mortal from Toronto
who had been granted immunity after saving the
community there from the plague several years ago?” He
nodded. “Well, that mortal is Natalie.” She put her
arm around Natalie.

The eyes of the younger vampires all turned toward
Natalie. She smiled and knew they could all hear her
heartbeat speeding up. A stray thought entered her
mind about being a lobster on display at a seafood
restaurant. She smiled at the analogy and for some
reason it put her at ease.

Janette continued. “Cecile and Arthur are aware of
Natalie’s presence in Portland. Landon and Jillian,
I’m sure you can sense Nicholas’ resonance around
Natalie.” They both nodded. “Both LaCroix and I
consider Natalie a member of this family.
Unfortunately, her blood link with Nicholas, while
strong, almost resulted in her demise. Nicholas barely
stopped himself from draining her. Nicholas loves this
woman more than any other woman I have ever known him
to care for. Myself included.” She paused, letting the
information sink in. All of the vampires were aware of
her history with Nicholas.

Janette continued, amber sparks appearing in her blue
eyes as she spoke. “Natalie has a mortal daughter, and
her child has been taken from her. The man who has her
also knows Nicholas, and has demanded that Natalie and
Nicholas meet with him tomorrow night. Nicholas is on
his way here, but his link to Natalie will be
overpowering when they are in close proximity.” She
glanced at LaCroix and nodded to him. He continued the
narrative.

“As you know, the links between master and fledgling
are the strongest known to our kind. Janette and I
have devised a plan which, we hope, will impose
additional external control over him. While I have
considerable control over Nicholas, it would be
optimal if we were able to include Janette in my
attempts to restrain him. To that end, we have
gathered you here in an effort to bolster her
strength. If you are willing, I will share blood with
each of you. This should strengthen my bonds to each
of you AND Janette, and allow us to form a circle that
will be much stronger than any of us alone.”

He looked around the table, noting the expressions on
each face. Landon was nodding, Jillian had a slight
frown on her face, Arthur had ducked his head, and
Cecile had a calculating look on her face.

“Have any of you ever shared blood with another
vampire other than your conversion?” Landon and
Jillian nodded their heads, Cecile and Arthur shook
theirs.

“LaCroix, I’ll be happy to help any way I can.”
Landon’s quiet comment dropped into the silence.

“Me too.” Jillian’s soft voice piped in.
Janette looked at Arthur and Cecile. “I’m asking you
to do this, not demanding; it is your own choice.”

“I’ll do it.” Cecile spoke, and her declaration was
almost a challenge, causing LaCroix to chuckle in
amusement.

Arthur gulped, but didn’t say anything. Cecile turned
to him. “Why don’t I go, and you can link to me after
I’m done and decide then.” He smiled then nodded.