Pulse. Part 3

"Get to the point, Jaegar."

"Oh, here's us! *Jaegar Greystone. Born 1329. R 1349.' Love that - "R." *Resurrected, 1349. Stuart Greystone. Born 1331.' Such a younger brother, you are!"

"Jaegar!"

"Fine, I'll skip ahead. As you wish." He turned a ma.s.s of pages. "'Aaron Greystone. Born 1870.' What a baby. *Died 1887.'"

"Died?"

"Yes - "died." How curious. Not resurrected. Died."

"But how..."

"Old Jebediah Greystone doesn't seem to have realized that Aaron was one of us. Although they managed to figure it out about us."

"Is that what Aaron wanted Kalina to see...that he was born in 1870 and died in 1887, that he was not human?"

"Perhaps. It isn't like it is a big secret to the Greystones."

"Would you keep your voice down?"

"n.o.body's here! I don't see why people shouldn't know, in any case. I hear it's a good way to pick up women. They love vampires."

"I think they love being alive a tad more."

"One would think so, yes." Jaegar shrugged. "But they don't seem to mind..."

"And Aaron? I bet he loved being alive!"

Stuart hadn't meant to speak the accusation aloud. But he couldn't help being suspicious. He didn't trust Jaegar. He had never trusted Jaegar. Whatever humanity and kindness Jaegar had exhibited when they were alive a only lightly touched by his arrogance and vanity a had long been snuffed out by centuries in humanity and kindness Jaegar had exhibited when they were alive a only lightly touched by his arrogance and vanity a had long been snuffed out by centuries in Octavius's army.

"It's good paying work," Jaegar had said. "Like hunting food." Being a mercenary paid the bills a and vampires were the best fighters of all. "Someone has to pay for the winery." The family had always made wine a from the early days in England to settlements along the Silk Road centuries later, to their final arrival in California late in the eighteenth century.

Under Octavius, Jaegar had changed immeasurably. He had grown hard, and cold, and cruel, so proud of his vampire nature that he lost all touch with the human he might have been. Stuart had thought that they had always both loved Aaron a that no matter how cruel or callous Jaegar got, he would always reserve what little love he had left in his soul for his brother. But perhaps he was giving Jaegar too much credit.

"You think I did it, brother?" Jaegar looked away. "If you think I can kill vampires that easily a you should be more worried about your own life." They both knew he could kill Stuart with a flick of his wrist. "I didn't a in case you're wondering. But you didn't suspect me, did you."

"Of course not," said Stuart, gruffly. "Jaegar a listen a what are you doing at the winery? What do you want here?"

"I could ask you the same question," said Jaegar, with an enervating grin.

A knock came from downstairs.

"Oh, don't bother yourself." Jaegar had already whirled past him; his voice echoed from the stairs. "I'll get it."

The man who opened the door seemed terribly familiar. Kalina recognized his face a his beautiful eyes, the smooth marble-like skin. She had seen him before a but where? Images of yesterday's blackouts appeared suddenly in the back of her brain; she pushed them out. Don't be silly, she told herself.

"I'm here to see Stuart?" she said.

"Stuart," Jaegar called. "Your date is here..."

Kalina blushed. "It's not a..."

"Oh good," Jaegar grinned at her. "I must say a you have such a lovely...neck."

His eyes fell on her bared throat, her parted lips. She felt him staring at her and felt decidedly uncomfortable.

"Who are you, exactly?" she said, trying to sound more intimidating than she felt.

"Aaron's other half-brother. Jaegar."

"Kalina!" Stuart broke in from atop the landing. "So nice to see you." He cleared his throat and gave Jaegar a pointed look. "I see you've met my brother." His voice took on a strange pitch. "Jaegar was just leaving."

"Was I?" Jaegar gave him a look of mock surprise.

Kalina felt even more uncomfortable. "If this isn't a good time..."

"No, come right in!" Jaegar leered at her again. "We're delighted to have you."

"Okay,..."

A strong wind rose up from the window, blowing towards the east.

Stuart stopped short, closing his eyes and inhaling sharply.

"Stuart?"

He opened his eyes and fixed them upon her; his pupils dilating with desire. He looked like a man possessed, in the grip of some great terror.

"You okay, Stuart?"

"That smell..." his voice trailed off. "You smell like..."

"Like what?"

"Look a I've got to..."

Before she could stop him, he bolted up the stairs.

"What happened?"

Jaegar shrugged. "He has a dandelion allergy," he said, lightly. "But I'd be happy to show you around. If you'd like."

"Actually, I think I'm going to..."

"No, please! Aaron would have wanted me to show you the vineyard."

She considered. "I guess..."

"Right this way then." He offered her his arm. "Let's go to the winery. And may I say, my dear a I'm afraid I didn't catch your name a that your perfume smells absolutely delicious?"

chapter 5.

Kalina wasn't quite sure what to think of Jaegar just yet. There was something disturbing about him, something that made her feel that he was watching her, that he knew more than he let on. It annoyed her; it almost infuriated her. He sauntered through the grapevines with an arrogance she had never seen before. He owned this place, and he knew it, and he wanted her to know it too. He pointed out pathways and grape varieties with the polished surety of a connoisseur.

"I'm too young to drink, thanks," she said testily, when he offered her a sip of the 2007 vintage.

"What a good girl you are!" Jaegar said, a slow grin spreading across his face.

"Is Stuart coming back?" she couldn't quite identify a reason to be angry with him; this made her angrier than she thought possible. "I didn't exactly sign up for a wine tour. We had..."

"Your boyfriend will be back soon enough."

"He's not my..."

"He just needs to drink his medicine!"

"Huh." She glowered at him.

And yet she found something strangely enticing in the sensation of his eyes upon her, looking her up and down with something between appraisal and hunger. He had made his interest in her a if only purely a physical one a very clear, and he advertised his own beauty freely. Aaron had a similar look, at his most impossible, when he made his interest in her a if only purely a physical one a very clear, and he advertised his own beauty freely. Aaron had a similar look, at his most impossible, when he cottoned on to his own attractiveness and strutted down the locker room hallway without a care a but his was a younger incarnation of the same expression. Aaron hadn't seen as much of the world as this man had a of this, at least, Kalina was certain. Jaegar looked at her as if he'd seen many, many women without their clothes on, and knew exactly how she looked underneath them.

"So, this is the winery," said Kalina, straining to be polite.

"My father's pride and joy," said Jaegar. He gave an idle sigh. "And Aaron's a poor Aaron."

"Poor Aaron indeed," said Kalina. Where were her manners a Jaegar had just lost his brother! She hoped this, perhaps, could explain his rude behavior. "Do you miss him?"

"I didn't know him very well," said Jaegar, his voice turning sharp. "You're awfully inquisitive."

This did not shut her down. "I miss him," she said. "A lot. Every day."

"How unfortunate for you." He sped up his pace.

"You know a it's okay to miss somebody you love."

He whirled around.

"Just drop the subject a please."

"I'm sorry," she said, staring him full in the eyes. "I just thought you should know a how many people loved him around here. How special he was to everybody."

He lowered his gaze. "Thank you," he said quietly. "You're...very kind."

They pa.s.sed by a clearing. The ground was wet with afternoon rain, and the gra.s.s grew high and tangled. Jaegar stopped short.

"Are you okay?" Kalina asked him. A morbid expression was gathering like storm clouds on his face.

"Fine," said Jaegar. He sighed and plucked a flower from the patch. His gaze lingered on the withering petals. "It's a nice spot, that's all." He cleared his throat.

"Come on, let me show you where the grapes are pressed."

He took her into a stone room in a complex at the end of the vineyard. "Here we are," he said. "Wine-making central."

Kalina inhaled. The smell of fresh grapes was sharp, pungent, and sweet all at once a like the musk of the woods at dawn. "Lovely," she said.

"This is just the cheap commercial stuff," said Jaegar. "The real magic is here."

He swung another door open, and led her into a smaller chamber.

Kalina gasped.

She knew this smell. Sultry, sweet a the smell of vanilla and hazelnut, dark blueberries and chocolate. She had smelled it so often before, lingering on Aaron's lips when he kissed her, when he slurred his speech, when he stumbled.

"Yeah, I know this smell."

Jaegar rounded on her, surprised. "You what?"

"Aaron used to drink this stuff." Her voice took on a high, unnatural pitch. "Come on, let's go. I already told you I don't drink. Unlike Aaron."

Jaegar's face darkened.

"I'm sorry," Kalina started. "I didn't mean..."

"It's fine," said Jaegar. "Don't mention it."

"No a no a I'm sorry. Please. Tell me about this wine. What grape is it from? It's not Pinot Noir, is it? That's the only grape I know; it's what they use to make our communion wine."

"No, not Pinot Noir," said Jaegar. "It's...not grape at all."

"Peaches? I heard you can make peach wine."

"It's...a secret," said Jaegar. "Very valuable a very rare. You know, we call it Vampire Wine."

"Really, why is that?" The word had triggered something in her memory a some empty pocket a Kalina struggled to recall...

"Looks like blood." Jaegar looked up a smiling. His gaze upon her grew fixed, as if he knew something she didn't, as if he was testing her. "And for other reasons, too."

"What other reasons?" Kalina swallowed back the rising panic in her throat. "What are you talking about?"

"Well," Jaegar gave her a slow grin. "It's the only thing other than blood that vampires can drink."