11. SPECIAL PERMISSION
EDWINA PROWLED THE DARK CAVERNS of the vampire lair. She had formulated the beginnings of a plan, and now she needed to find Stefan so she could start to put it into motion. She had seen him earlier, conversing with Ricard, but for what she wanted, she had to get Stefan alone. Only then could she pressure and persuade him to give her what she needed.
She finally came upon him in one of the tunnels leading from the Council chamber. She pasted a sweet smile upon her face.
“Stefan, I’ve been looking for you. I need to speak to you.”
Stefan’s black eyes were wary. He had forced Edwina to give up her feeder, with no recompense for her, which was no small thing. He did not trust her friendly manner, not even a little. And he certainly did not trust her smile.
“What is it, Edwina?” he asked, keeping his voice neutral.
“I want to go outside.”
Stefan folded his arms across his chest. “So? Why tell me?”
Edwina stepped closer, cutting the distance between them by half.
“Because I want to go out alone,” she said in a near whisper.
Stefan studied her face, but Edwina’s expression gave away nothing. “You know the Council’s decree. As long as the Destiratu continues to strengthen, only Council members may go out alone. If you want to go, you must find two others to go with you. It’s for your protection, as well as for the coven’s.”
“I don’t need protection,” Edwina said evenly.
“Perhaps not, Edwina. But Destiratu can fan your blood thirst when you least expect it. Without companions to restrain you, you might act foolishly. You know we cannot risk attention being brought upon our kind. Hence the Council’s decree.”
“But the decree also states that a Council member may grant permission. You are a Council member, Stefan. You can give me permission.”
Stefan stroked the black soul patch on his chin. He was the newest and youngest member of the High Council—it had been less than four hundred years since that glorious day Ricard turned him—but he had the same rights and powers as the others.
“And why would I do that?”
Edwina’s expression grew hard. “Because you owe me, Stefan. You took my feeder from me, for your own selfish purposes. Needlessly, it turned out, I might add.”
Stefan winced inside. He had made a bargain with the human girl Leesa. She had agreed to become his consort in return for her brother’s freedom. But at the first taste of her blood, he realized he could not turn her. Still, he kept his part of the bargain and allowed Bradley to remain free. Despite his failure to turn Leesa vampire, she still maintained a pull on him he had been unable to break—or even to fully understand.
“What will you do if I give you the permission you seek?”
Edwina smiled again. She had him now, she knew.
“Why, look for another feeder, of course. That’s all. Find a human to replace the one you took from me.”
Stefan did not trust her smile one bit. Still, he did owe her. He could not deny it, even to himself.
“And this has nothing to with Leesa or her brother?” he asked.
Edwina gave him a look that was all innocence.
No wonder she so easily plays with humans, Stefan thought. No one would ever suspect her true nature.
“No, of course not. That’s ancient history. I desire new blood.”
“I am serious, Edwina,” Stefan said sternly. “I do not want you going anywhere near Leesa or her family. Understood?”
Edwina ran her finger softly down Stefan’s cheek, scraping his smooth skin lightly with her fingernail. “Why, Stefan! Don’t tell me you still have feelings for that girl.”
Stefan did not know what to make of his feelings for Leesa, but he certainly wasn’t about to try to explain them to Edwina. He took hold of her wrist and pulled her hand away from his face.
“It is for your safety as much as hers,” he said, keeping a tight grip on her wrist. “She has a volkaane friend—a very powerful volkaane friend. You would stand no chance against him.”
Stefan thought back to his own confrontation with Rave. The volkaane’s power was undeniable, among the strongest Stefan had ever sensed. Stefan was powerful among vampires, but even he was not sure who would have prevailed had Leesa not stepped between them and stopped their fight before it began.
He felt the hunger rising inside him. The desire to test his strength against the volkaane was a palpable thing he could feel in his chest. He forced the feeling down. Destiratu was stoking his hunger, he knew. He would not give in to it.
“A volkaane friend, huh?” Edwina said, thinking. This was important information. She would have to be very careful if she were to go near the girl. “Thank you for the warning, Stefan. And for your concern. But like I said, my plans have nothing to do with her.”
Stefan fastened his eyes onto hers. “See that your plans remain that way, then.” He let go of her wrist. “You have my permission to go out alone, Edwina. See that you do not abuse it.”
Edwina smiled and gave him a slight bow. It wouldn’t hurt to show a little gratitude and deference. “Thank you, Stefan. You do not have to worry about me, I promise.”
Stefan looked at her for another moment, then turned and strode away without saying anything more. As he disappeared, the smile on Edwina’s face turned into a full-fledged grin. Step one of her plan had been achieved—she had permission to come and go as she pleased. And as a bonus, Stefan had given her some very important information about the girl having a volkaane friend.
The volkaane’s presence meant Edwina had to give up a few of the possibilities she’d been considering. But she was confident she would come up with something suitable that did not endanger her at the hands of this powerful hunter, something that would still give her the revenge she sought.