Clovis walked into his office half an hour later with Frank hard on his heels. I stood facing the door with the floor-to-ceiling bookcases at my back, not wanting to be caught off guard.
“Sabina Kane.” His voice drifted over me like a hot wind.
I nodded and took the hand he offered. His palm singed mine with a surge of power. Careful to keep my face expressionless, I absorbed the throb. Any show of weakness at this point would put him at an advantage. Of course, he had the advantage already, considering I was in his office with Frank guarding the door and a legion of goons no doubt standing sentry in the hall.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he continued, finally releasing my hand. “Your reputation precedes you.” He motioned to the chair on the other side of his massive ebony desk.
“Depending on your source it’s either all true or not true at all.”
“I assure you the reports have been positive.”
“Then it’s all true.” I sat in the chair he’d offered with practiced ease.
The corner of his mouth quirked, but the half-smile didn’t reach his eyes. Speaking of his eyes, they were even more intense up close. It was as if he had no irises to speak of, only large black pupils—like twin black holes. I worried if I stared into them too long, I’d be sucked in. I lowered my eyes and crossed my legs.
“I understand you’ve … had a bit of a falling out with the Dominae,” he said, leaning back into his black leather chair.
“Let’s just say we’ve had a difference of opinion.”
An eyebrow quirked. “Oh?”
“They expect me to follow their rules, and I try to break them whenever I can.”
He looked pleased with my response, but I couldn’t be sure. On the façade, he looked like a businessman, with his charcoal pinstripe suit, white shirt, and silver and black tie. But something lurked just below the surface. I couldn’t put my finger on it; every time I tried to find the right adjective, my thoughts would shift like mercury.
“Let me ask you a question.” His voice seemed to break me out of a trance. When I nodded, he continued, “What did you think of the mass?”
“It was certainly … interesting.”
He chuckled then. “Sabina, I didn’t know you were a diplomat as well as an assassin.”
I smiled then. “Honestly? I’m not sure what I thought of it. I have a question, though. Why didn’t the mortals freak out when you fed from the blonde?”
He nodded and leaned forward. “Our human congregants are thoroughly prepared for what we’re about before they ever step foot in the Temple.”
“But aren’t you worried someone will go to the mortal authorities?”
“Not in the least. The woman signed consent forms. It’s all aboveboard, I assure you.”
“But—” I began, only to be cut off.
“Sabina, may I speak plainly?” he said. “You seem like someone who appreciates candor.” He looked to me for confirmation.
“Sure,” I said, trying to sound casual. Inside, I was worried he might call me on my bluff.
“As I said, your reputation as an assassin is well-known. In addition, your knowledge of the Dominae is an asset. I need you on my team.”
Blinking, I hesitated, trying to figure out how to respond with the right mixture of hesitancy and interest. “I’m flattered. However, I’m sure you understand I need to know more about your operation before I can answer.”
He stood. “Let’s walk, shall we?”
When I rose, he held a hand out indicating I should precede him. Frank opened the door. As I passed, he winked at me with a leer. I ignored him and focused on Clovis, who dismissed Frank.
Clovis fell in beside me as we walked down the wood-paneled corridor. I would have wondered about why he felt himself safe enough to be alone with me, but then I saw the guards. They stood at intervals along the corridor, their eyes straight ahead and their bodies rigid as posts. Soon we came to a pair of glass doors. The guards on either side moved to open them for us. Clovis nodded and thanked them. The move surprised me. Most of the leaders I knew treated their staff like faceless slaves.
We walked out into a covered walkway, which extended on all four sides of a central courtyard. A fountain stood in the center with the paths spreading out in a starburst pattern around it. The fountain itself resembled an octagonal baptismal font with engravings circling the basin in a wide band. In the center was a female figure holding torches in each hand. Water bubbled up under her feet, creating a musical sound.
“Do you like it? I had it imported from Greece,” Clovis said. He nodded at the figure. “She is the goddess Hekate.”
I turned sharply to look at him.
“Surprised?” he asked.
“A little,” I admitted.
“If you decide to join our group, you’ll learn quickly that we honor all of Lilith’s children here. The hostility between the Hekate and the Lilim has gone on too long. It’s time we all came together to honor the Great Mother.”
I kept quiet since I couldn’t very well tell him I thought his philosophy was bullshit. Instead, I nodded thoughtfully, as if considering the possibility.
Clovis led on past the fountain and through another set of doors directly across the courtyard from the ones we’d used a few moments earlier.
“We’re entering the school now,” he said, pride evident in his voice. “This is where our members learn about our sacred history.”
“Bible study from hell?” I joked.
Clovis stopped and pinned me with a stare that would have turned a lesser female to stone. “You’d do best to leave your mockery at the door. We take our teachings very seriously here.”
Worried I’d ruined my chances, I tried to look chastened. “I’m sorry. It’s just this is all new to me.”
The hard planes of his face softened a bit. “Of course. I apologize if I spoke too harshly. I’m sure you understand that we’ve had our fair share of detractors among the Lilim.”
No shit, I thought. This guy sounded like some freaky mortal televangelist. It just didn’t compute. My kind wasn’t known for our goodwill toward the other dark races.
Clovis must have interpreted my silence for insightful reflection because he continued into the building. Down another corridor and a couple of turns later, we entered a classroom. It seemed your standard-issue desks-and-blackboard kind of place. The only thing odd about it was the class, which was made up of vampires, mancies, a few faeries, and a couple of mortals. If this group had been thrown together anyplace else, there’d be lots of fighting and even more blood. But here, they all behaved themselves as they watched the teacher. She appeared to be human, but didn’t smell like one. Most humans smelled like dirt. This chick didn’t smell like anything. Odd.
The teacher paused in midsentence when she saw us. “Brother Clovis, we’re honored,” she gushed.
“Please don’t let us interrupt, Sister Gianna.”
“Not at all,” she said. “We were just discussing the Sacred Mother’s creation of the Titans.”
Clovis nodded. “Carry on; we’ll continue with our tour.”
Back in the hall, he talked as we passed more filled classrooms. “Most of our students are in the acolyte stage. They must go through hundreds of hours of training before they are allowed to go through the joining ritual.”
“Joining ritual?”
He nodded. “Before anyone can be welcomed into the sect as a full-fledged member they must go through an initiation to prove their dedication to our path.”
I noted his lack of specifics, but said nothing. “We’ll continue on to the dormitories,” he said, opening another door. We entered a large room. The walls were lined with bunk beds. It looked like military barracks.
“Who stays here?” I asked as we walked along the aisle formed in the middle of the room.
“The trainees,” he said. “We have found that total immersion in our way of life nets the best results.”
The more I saw and heard, the more this place sounded like a monastery … or a cult.
“Training for what?”
“For service to Lilith, of course.”
I hesitated. “What exactly does service to Lilith entail? Like religious service?”
He paused. “Something like that. It is our belief that instead of warring against each other and the humans, the Lilim and mortals should band together to make the world a better place. After all, whether Lilim or Adamite, we are all children of God.”
I almost gagged. Seriously, no one I knew ever said His name. Most vamps believe we were forsaken by Him. After all, Lilith had disobeyed the big guy in Eden and then—after sowing her wild oats—shacked up with Asmodeus in Irkalla. Not exactly a righteous path by biblical standards.
Besides all that, I didn’t trust the line of bullshit Clovis was feeding me. His spiel seemed a little too polished. My guess was he was training his recruits to rise up against the Dominae. Although why he would use mancies and humans to do it was beyond me.
“Tell me something, Sabina,” he said, leaning against one of the bunks. “Haven’t you ever wished you weren’t discriminated against because of your mixed ancestry?”
It was a low blow. I gritted my teeth to hold back my angry retort. “I’ll admit it’s been frustrating at times.”
He looked into my eyes then, as if he was trying to see into my soul. Something told me he might just succeed. “Haven’t you ever felt angry that you bear the burdens of your parent’s sins? Haven’t you longed to be at peace?”
He continued to stare into my eyes as he spoke. A sense of calm washed over me, almost as if he was hypnotizing me with those obsidian eyes. Suddenly, I felt a brush against my mind. The nudge rocked me out of my trance. The last thing I needed was Clovis busting through my mental barriers. I cleared my throat and focused my energy on keeping him out.