As he settled in place, Sebastian noticed the five rings on his mutilated left hand. He'd lost half his baby finger in 1821, thanks to a bloodthirsty young woman named Sara Regalado, but it was the ever-present copper bands that captured his attention.
Even though it had been so long, he still occasionally tried to dislodge them. But while his skin hadn't grown around them during the last century, thank fortune, the circles would neither twist nor turn. It was as if they were affixed to his flesh. Part of him.
And there they would remain until someone drove a stake through his heart.
There was always the possibility of decapitation, or even frying to a crisp in direct sunlight, but when he thought about his death-which was absurdly often, considering the fact that he was immortal-Sebastian pictured the fast, painless pike to the heart. Poof. He'd be gone.
And whoever killed him would take possession of the rings.
That's why you're here.
The voice was in his head, firm and clear, as if someone was sitting next to him, speaking in his ear.
The rings. The pool. The prism. To keep them safe.
He opened his eyes and turned. Wayren was there, smiling serenely at him as she tended to do. Merely looking at her eased the throb of incessant pain.
Sebastian looked over. The old woman was still kneeling in front of a bank of candles.
"She's quite devoted. " Wayren glanced toward the veiled figure. "As are you. "
"How delightful to see you again so soon," Sebastian murmured. "You disappear for more than a decade, and then you appear tw The Blood Club slyice in less than a month. "
She shook her head, still smiling. "Now, Sebastian, sarcasm is not one of your best attributes. Best to leave that to someone who wields it better. "
"Like Chas?"
Her eyes twinkled. "You said it. I didn't. "
His irritation deflated, but he couldn't quite bring himself to a full smile. Besides the physical pain, there was still the despair and weariness that had cloaked him so heavily as of late. He felt finished.
"It's because of Macey. "
He looked at Wayren. "Reading my mind again?"
She shrugged. "It was upon your face, Sebastian. You're weary and ready to pass the torch-and now that Macey Gardella is here, you believe it's time. "
"It should be time. "
"I cannot speak to whether it should or shouldn't, whether it is or isn't. I can't even say whether she will measure up and fully take on the mantle of her calling. All I can do is bid you be strong, for the challenges you face-all of you-will be great. And there will always be the easy way out. "
"I haven't taken the easy way out for a hundred damned years," he hissed, fully aware that he'd just cursed in a holy place. And at Wayren.
But again, she merely looked at him with those steady blue-gray eyes. "And you thought Victoria Gardella was strong. She cannot hold a candle to you, Sebastian. Never forget it. "
With those words wrapping around his mind, settling over him like a cloak, he pulled heavily to his feet. Casting a brief glance toward the praying woman, he gave a nod to Wayren. "I hope to see you again soon. "
"As do I. "
Sebastian walked out of the church and allowed a splash of the burgeoning dawn to touch his bare skin. Then, the searing pain still throbbing on his face and hand, he pulled his coat and hat closely around himself.
He'd walked no more than half a block, huddled under his protection, when two pairs of black shoes and legs appeared in his vision. They straddled the walkway in front of him.
Sebastian looked up and then over to see an automobile, its door open, and two more pairs of black shoes and trousers standing next to it. He gripped his coat tighter, knowing the moment his clothing fell or was pulled away, he'd fry-which left him limited options for defending himself.
"Sebastian Vioget. " A vaguely familiar voice drew his attention to the vehicle, and Al Capone emerged. "I believe it's time you and I had a talk. "
The Blood Club sly