SENT.
A flicker caught Stella’s attention: On a monitor showing a citywide grid, red lights had begun to appear in clusters throughout Austin, and after a few minutes they began to converge.
“Now,” Miranda said, still smiling, “Let’s get you settled in.”
* * *
Across Austin, in hidden shelters and safe houses scattered throughout the silent city, a woman’s voice broke into the darkness, and in every corner of the Shadow District, there were cheers.
Four
She couldn’t go in. Not yet.
She stood with her hands on the door, head bowed, for several minutes, but nothing she told herself could give her the will to open it or go inside.
She knew what she would see: everything just as it had been that night. Her guitar would still be on her chair. The book on string theory he had been reading would still be lying on the side table, his place held with a sticky note. The pair of boots she had almost worn, then changed her mind about and tossed on the floor, would still be there. A silver pen engraved with David L. Solomon, PhD would still be in the groove in the desk.
There was a gentle voice beside her. “May I get you something, reinita ?”
Miranda turned to the woman standing there. “Welcome back, Esther. Is everyone all right?”
“Yes, my Lady. The Haven staff was in the safe house—we were the first ones back.” Esther pursed her lips slightly and added, “I would have liked to stay, to watch the house until you came home.”
Miranda smiled. “I appreciate that . . . but it was more important that everyone stayed safe. You never know what might happen.”
Esther seemed to fight with herself for a moment, but then suddenly bundled Miranda into a hug. “Thank God you are home,” she murmured into Miranda’s hair. “I am so sorry about our Lord Prime.”
“Thank you, Esther . . . so am I.”
Miranda squeezed her back, and then Esther moved away, flushed a little at the emotion that had made her breach propriety for a moment. “I will go in and freshen things up,” Esther said. “It will be ready for you when you are ready for it.”
Miranda nodded, but she didn’t speak and didn’t stay to watch Esther go into the suite; she had to walk away.
She could hear the Haven coming back to life—the Elite were arriving in groups, the servants had returned, all systems were humming happily as if nothing had gone wrong. He would have been pleased, she thought, knowing how perfectly all the safeguards and contingencies had worked; everyone had done exactly as they were supposed to, waiting until they got the signal to emerge from hiding. If there had been no word for fourteen days, they were to disband. That way if a new Prime came forward and didn’t try to wipe them out, they could choose whether to pledge themselves to his rule or to leave the territory. If the worst happened, he had wanted everyone to be safe and for the Haven technology to be as difficult as possible for his killer to steal.
She stopped, hands going to her face, unable to breathe through the upwelling of pain in her heart. Oh, God . . . David . . . this can’t be real. I’m going to wake up . . . and he’ll be there, and he’ll laugh at me for crying, and then we’ll make love and go back to sleep . . . oh, God . . . please . . .
Miranda held down her emotions, forcing them aside again. She couldn’t fall apart. There was too much work to do. Later . . . later. Not now.
Stella was installed in a small room a few doors down from the Signet suite; Miranda had made the girl promise to stay put until Miranda returned with a com and guards for her. She knew better than anyone that even the Haven couldn’t keep out every nightmare, but it was better for her to be here than vulnerable in the city—that, Miranda knew, too. Whatever that vampire had been after, even if it had nothing to do with Stella, Miranda wasn’t going to have another death on her conscience.
She resumed walking,
A flicker caught Stella’s attention: On a monitor showing a citywide grid, red lights had begun to appear in clusters throughout Austin, and after a few minutes they began to converge.
“Now,” Miranda said, still smiling, “Let’s get you settled in.”
* * *
Across Austin, in hidden shelters and safe houses scattered throughout the silent city, a woman’s voice broke into the darkness, and in every corner of the Shadow District, there were cheers.
Four
She couldn’t go in. Not yet.
She stood with her hands on the door, head bowed, for several minutes, but nothing she told herself could give her the will to open it or go inside.
She knew what she would see: everything just as it had been that night. Her guitar would still be on her chair. The book on string theory he had been reading would still be lying on the side table, his place held with a sticky note. The pair of boots she had almost worn, then changed her mind about and tossed on the floor, would still be there. A silver pen engraved with David L. Solomon, PhD would still be in the groove in the desk.
There was a gentle voice beside her. “May I get you something, reinita ?”
Miranda turned to the woman standing there. “Welcome back, Esther. Is everyone all right?”
“Yes, my Lady. The Haven staff was in the safe house—we were the first ones back.” Esther pursed her lips slightly and added, “I would have liked to stay, to watch the house until you came home.”
Miranda smiled. “I appreciate that . . . but it was more important that everyone stayed safe. You never know what might happen.”
Esther seemed to fight with herself for a moment, but then suddenly bundled Miranda into a hug. “Thank God you are home,” she murmured into Miranda’s hair. “I am so sorry about our Lord Prime.”
“Thank you, Esther . . . so am I.”
Miranda squeezed her back, and then Esther moved away, flushed a little at the emotion that had made her breach propriety for a moment. “I will go in and freshen things up,” Esther said. “It will be ready for you when you are ready for it.”
Miranda nodded, but she didn’t speak and didn’t stay to watch Esther go into the suite; she had to walk away.
She could hear the Haven coming back to life—the Elite were arriving in groups, the servants had returned, all systems were humming happily as if nothing had gone wrong. He would have been pleased, she thought, knowing how perfectly all the safeguards and contingencies had worked; everyone had done exactly as they were supposed to, waiting until they got the signal to emerge from hiding. If there had been no word for fourteen days, they were to disband. That way if a new Prime came forward and didn’t try to wipe them out, they could choose whether to pledge themselves to his rule or to leave the territory. If the worst happened, he had wanted everyone to be safe and for the Haven technology to be as difficult as possible for his killer to steal.
She stopped, hands going to her face, unable to breathe through the upwelling of pain in her heart. Oh, God . . . David . . . this can’t be real. I’m going to wake up . . . and he’ll be there, and he’ll laugh at me for crying, and then we’ll make love and go back to sleep . . . oh, God . . . please . . .
Miranda held down her emotions, forcing them aside again. She couldn’t fall apart. There was too much work to do. Later . . . later. Not now.
Stella was installed in a small room a few doors down from the Signet suite; Miranda had made the girl promise to stay put until Miranda returned with a com and guards for her. She knew better than anyone that even the Haven couldn’t keep out every nightmare, but it was better for her to be here than vulnerable in the city—that, Miranda knew, too. Whatever that vampire had been after, even if it had nothing to do with Stella, Miranda wasn’t going to have another death on her conscience.
She resumed walking,
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