Midnight Shadows
Chapter Twelve: Explanations
BY: Tammy

Disclaimer: Anita, Dolph, Jean-Claude, Jason, Asher, Zerbrowski, and any other recognizable characters belong to Laurell K. Hamilton. I’m borrowing them. This was written purely for entertainment and not monetary gain. Cara, Calin, Tanon, the Queen, and Dr. Zimmerman belong to me.

Author’s Note: This story is told from Anita’s and Cara’s view points. They alternate back and forth from chapter to chapter.

Cara's P.O.V.

When I came to, I was back in the sleeping chamber Jean-Claude had shown me when I changed clothes. I was lying on my back on the bed so I decided to take stock of myself before I tried to move. A slight headache pounded between my eyes and I felt like I had run to the top of Mt. Nothrellen. My bruises still hurt, but I thought I'd make it. I sat up carefully. Unconscious twice in one day. It was unprecedented for me. I heard a small sound to the right and looked. Anita was sitting in a chair, apparently waiting for me to wake up.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"I've been better. How long was I out?"

"A couple of hours. You put on quite a show out there."

"I put on a show?" I said sarcastically. "You said I'd be safe. They scared me half to death with their theatrics. The power they were giving off almost destroyed my shields. I don't understand one blasted thing that's going on around here and no one is explaining a thing!" I was angry again.

"You're right. It's time for some explanations. Come on, let's find Jean-Claude and we'll hash this out." With that statement, my anger began to drain away. Finally, I was going to get some answers.

She stood and headed toward the door. After a second I got up to follow her. Halfway across the room my stomach began to rumble loudly, and I realized I hadn't had anything to eat today.

Anita looked at my midsection and gave me a small grin. "I guess we'll scare up some food too."

I followed her back to the living area. The furniture was righted and the drapes pulled back where they belonged. The most heavenly scent I'd ever smelled met us at the door.

"I see Jason was in charge of getting dinner," Anita said.

On one of the low tables there was a flat box. The delicious odor was wafting up from it. Jean-Claude and Asher followed us into the room. They took seats opposite the table. I hardly paid them any attention. Anita and I sat down in front of the box. She flipped it open and took out a slice of food and handed it to me with a paper napkin. I looked at it dubiously. It seemed to be some kind of soft bread with melted cheese and peculiar vegetables on it.

"Pizza," she said as she took a bite from the slice she'd taken for herself. I followed her example. With the first taste I about melted into a puddle on the floor. It was absolutely the most scrumptious thing I'd ever tasted. For a few blissful moments I forgot all about Tanon, vampires, and marks.

Once my hunger had been satisfied my thoughts returned to my predicament. Before I started with my questions I thinned my shields a little and checked the feeling in the room. I still got no sense at all from either vampire. That bothered me. They must truly be dead for me to be unable to sense them. Only wisps of Anita's emotions were leaking past her shields. From what I could sense she was uneasy and worried.

"Now I'd like to know exactly what is going on here," I said firmly. I used my most firm voice. The one I used to intimidate lower Court elves and guardsmen.

Anita looked me square in the eye. "You're not going to like what we have to tell you, but please hear us out and then we'll try to answer your questions."

I nodded.

Jean-Claude began speaking then. "Master vampires have the ability to take a human servant. The process involves the giving of four metaphysical marks to the human. I believe the vampire who attacked you was a master who, for some inexplicable reason, chose to mark you instead of contaminating you. You carry two marks; two more will make you his servant forever."

"Not forever, just until he dies," Anita broke in. "Which will likely kill you too."

"Ma petite, please. I am trying to explain. Each mark binds the pair closer together and grants certain abilities. With the first mark you became physically stronger and more able to heal injuries. You probably have noticed your bruises are healing quickly. With the second, the master gains access to your dreams and the ability to feed through you in times when he cannot take blood. Also, when you are together his powers will be augmented. The third and fourth marks bring other advantages, but those aren't an issue now. One other thing, the marks bind so tightly that usually when one of the pair dies, the other dies as well."

This was incredible. I sat there listening to his explanation and wondered how this could happen. It was so far out of my realm of comprehension that I almost thought it had to be a story. All I had wanted to do was find Tanon. How had I become tied to a vampire?

"Well, how do we undo this?" I asked.

Anita and Jean-Claude looked pained and she answered me. "You can't. The marks are permanent."

My jaw dropped. "You mean you have found a way to tie two people together metaphysically and you cannot break the tie short of death?! That is the most irresponsible use of magic I have ever heard." I was furious. I had spent the last eighty odd years learning magic and how to control it. Part of that control meant being able to undo what I'd done. Things like this just did not happen on Aradorn. I was so angry I was beyond words.

"Be at ease. It is not all bad. Anita is my human servant and she has found it's not so terrible," Jean-Claude said.

Surprise filled me. I looked at Anita and she nodded in agreement. "Yes, I'm his human servant. It's a long story. I accepted the marks only to save Richard's and his lives. Truthfully, I'm often ambivalent about it. He also forgot to mention I only carry three marks." I could feel she was still hiding things.

"But at least you know who marked you and why. I don't even have that."

"We'll help you all we can. For now, that means giving you a safe place to stay, and locating this master and finding out what's going on. After that, we'll have to see. The marks may not affect you the same way as a human. Who knows, maybe it could be possible to remove them from you," Anita said.

"You don't really believe that do you?" I asked.

"No, but I was trying to make you feel better."

I didn't feel any better at all. I began to feel myself withdraw into my mind as I tried to accept what had happened to me. It was almost a trance like state that allowed my body to function while my brain worked on a particularly difficult problem. This was the most challenging problem my mind had ever tried to solve.

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